Misaki: Darkness (Misaki 3)
by MisakiHatake99
Summary: Five years pass after the wedding and Misaki is living happily with Kakashi. However, the vows that have bound them tighter than flesh and blood are shaken when individuals from their past appear in Konoha. At the brightest time in their lives, the darkness of their past encroached and threatened everything they've worked so hard for. Darkness seems to surround her suddenly...
1. Chapter 1 - The wedding

**CHAPTER 1 - The wedding**

 _November,_ _ **17 aNb**_

 _Thank you, Misaki. Until next time._

I opened my eyes with a smile on my face.

I lay in my warm bed for several minutes, reminiscing in some of the memories of my dreams. I had dreamt of my past with Itachi*, the man who I grew up with, loved and hated, but the one who would always have a place in my heart.

When I was back to the reality of my room, my smile grew bigger. Today was my wedding day.

I wasn't nervous about getting married, after all, I had already assumed that I would spend the rest of my life with _him_. I was thrilled to share this important day with the people special to me, and that included Sasuke, the boy I considered like a brother, he was family, not by blood but by the feelings that connected us all over.

Someone mentioned once that Sasuke could resent me for loving someone other than his brother. If things would've been different and Itachi had stayed in the village, I would've definitely become Sasuke's sister in law, and even though that didn't happen, he still loved me as a sister. He wanted me to be happy. Sasuke would always be my son's uncle and thus, we would both always be connected through him.

Sasuke was the reason we were having this wedding today. Tomorrow he was going to go a journey for redemption and nobody knew how long that could take. I just wanted to swear my love to my soulmate in the eyes of my loved ones and since I didn't need a big fancy wedding, a small arrangement on the rooftop of the Hokage's building with the view of the village behind us and under the scrutiny of the past Hokage's stony faces was more than enough.

When we announced the ceremony, all our friends got over the shock in a matter of seconds and then ran to help get the preparations ready. Since we told everyone in Tsunade-sama's office, Tsunade took charge and began distributing tasks. She assigned Ino and Sakura to be in charge of the flowers and decorations, Choji and Shikamaru were to arrange caterers from our favourite restaurants to deliver the food, Kurenai the drinks, Sai the photographer of the day while the rest of the boys helped in getting the tables and chairs in order and the girls took care of hair and makeup.

I didn't need a wedding dress because I found my mother's wedding dress in the storage. It seemed that my father had kept it for me and thanks to Shizune's amazing sewing skills, the traditional kimono was turned into a unique dress where the sleeves were folded down and tied as a decorative bow at the back. It left my arms and shoulders out in the open as my hair was tied up into a bun.

On the other hand, Yamato, the best man, was in charge of finding the groom a traditional montsuki which comprised of a kimono, hamaka and haori.

I wasn't given any job to do other than rest and be fresh today. I knew everyone would get everything right although there wasn't much time to do it all. And even if anything was missing or were to go wrong, it didn't matter, I had the perfect man to marry and that's all I needed.

We were in Tsunade's office, Tenten was finishing my hair when Shizune brought a full-length mirror so I could view Tenten's hairdo and Hinata's makeup work.

I started at my reflection with my mouth open. It took a lot of concentration to get it shut.

Even on days when I wasn't on duty, I wore my mission gear most of the time and the days where I had to dress up, I had always worn some simple dresses or skirts, put on some lipstick and maybe parted my hair to the other side or made some small amendment. That was as far as I could go.

But now, looking at myself in the mirror, I looked elegant and graceful, the makeup was subtle but my face was radiant and, if Jiraiya would have been here and call me a beauty like he used to, I wouldn't correct him this time.

"Hinata, Tenten, it's… amazing!" I said to them.

"We didn't have to do much, Misaki-sensei…" Hinata answered shyly.

"You look wonderful… cousin." Tsunade said behind me.

After discovering that my father was the Second Hokage's son that made us family since Tsunade was the First Hokage's granddaughter and both Hokages were brothers. Something I hadn't realised until this moment.

My family seemed to grow by the day and in a few months, there would be a new member of the family, I thought as I rubbed my hand over my belly.

There was a light knock on the door before Yamato opened it. Instead of entering, he gaped at me, making me uncomfortable.

While Yamato stood there with the door open, Sasuke happened to walk by and stopped when he noticed the scene.

"You shouldn't look at a woman about to get married like that. It's rude." Sasuke scowled Yamato.

"Huh? Oh… I didn't mean to… it's just that… _Ahem_ … Misaki-chan, you look beautiful." Yamato said before walking into the room, Sasuke on his heels, his eyes fixed on me.

"Everything is set. They're all waiting for you." Yamato announced. The girls left the room to get to their seats. Sasuke took the seat that Tsunade had vacated early and Yamato grabbed my left hand.

"You are stunning, you're going to make him crazy when he sees you like this. He's a lucky man."

"And I'm a lucky woman." I said to Yamato, whose eyes were starting to pool with unshed tears.

"I'm so happy to see that senpai has found such a wonderful person to spend the rest of his life with. I've never seen him so happy and that's all thanks to you. From the bottom of my heart, _arigatō_."

"No need to thank me, Yamato-taichō. I will make sure that he stays like that forever, that's a promise." I told him.

"I know you will… Alright, I'm going back. I'll be next to the groom. Don't be long or he'll get _more_ restless."

" _More_? Is he nervous? Not getting cold feet I hope?" I'd been so calm during this time that I didn't take into account how _he_ would feel.

"Just looking forward to seeing you is all."

"Misaki-nee?" Sasuke called out to me. I then realised that the music had started. Our cue to start walking down the aisle and towards the man I was going to marry.

"I'm ready." I whispered. Sasuke pulled my hand through his arm and then grasped it tightly.

As soon as we came into view of the audience, my heart started beating rapidly and then I started looking for him, finding him standing before an arch of colourful flowers. Yamato was standing by his side, Gai on his wheelchair next in line. On my side, Kurenai was standing there.

All I could focus was Kakashi's face. His eyes, which usually had that laziness look on them, were burning bright. He had kept his mask on but I could still see the depth of his emotion. When his eyes met mine, he broke into a smile full of joy. It was visible under that material hiding his perfect face.

When we reached the end of the aisle, Kakashi held out his hand and Sasuke place mine in his. The contact of our skins blurred the rest of the people from my vision, the sounds around us fading into nothing.

We kept our vows short and simple, pledging our love to each other for the rest of our lives.

The Shinto priest announced that we were then husband and wife and, at that moment, I felt my world was complete. I didn't know how I got so lucky but I was so thankful for whatever gods were looking after me.

Kakashi looked bewildered for a second or two like he couldn't seem to believe that I was _his_. When his hand lightly caressed my face and then brought his lips close to mine, it was my turn to be disoriented for a second before grasping the fact that this man was now _mine_.

As our lips connected, my eyes closed and my whole being was completely focus on the feeling of his warmth, his love and devotion, ignoring the cheers from our friends and family until someone made a throat-clearing noise very close to us.

"Ermm… senpai, there are kids in the crowd…"

When I leaned back reluctantly, I found Yamato looking slightly embarrassed while he focused on a piece of clothing from Kakashi's kimono. Turning to look behind me, Sasuke had averted his eyes to look at the stony faces of the Hokage while Naruto was grinning next to him. Hinata stood by his side, her eyes fixed on him while her hands covered Tetsuya and Mirai's eyes.

Everyone then started clapping and then approached us to congratulate us but in the middle of embraces, tears, and laughter, I heard Kakashi's voice whisper so only I could hear:

"I still can believe such a woman became mine, but you make me the happiest, Mrs. Hatake…"

Food and drinks started to flow while the sun began to set on the horizon. Our guests seemed to enjoy the little party, ignoring the chilled air that the night brought with it.

"Congratulations, Misa-nee." Sasuke told me, his face showing one of his rare smiles. Tetsuya was standing by his side, eyeing me with wariness.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I'm glad you were here today."

"For so long I thought you'd end up wearing the Uchiha emblem on your back… but I guess things turned for the best for you." At the mention of the Uchiha, Tetsuya's eyes fixated on his uncle's face.

"I… I thought the same. The Uchiha were always so good to me, I felt at home when I was with you, Shisui and Itachi but…" I couldn't continue as my throat tightened.

"You belong to the Hatake clan now, one of the most notable clans of Konoha, that's the name you'll wear now but, for me, you'll always be part of the Uchiha, and don't forget, your grandfather was a Senju who are descendants of Asura Ōtsutsuki."

"Okāsan?" Tetsuya called out shyly.

"You'll _always_ be an Uchiha, Tetsuya." Sasuke answered before I could. He'd stolen the words from my lips.

My son's eyes widened as he looked at me, he wanted me to confirm what Sasuke had stated. During his first eight years, Tetsuya had grown up not knowing who his parents were, only to reveal his bloodline during a fight with no other than his father, Itachi Uchiha. Neither of them had known the truth until then.

After the discovery, I confessed that I was his mother and the reason to why I had kept it a secret until then: Itachi ended the life of all the members of his clan except for his younger brother, Sasuke, before leaving the village and joining the Akatsuki, so I had to keep the truth about my son's lineage fearing that Itachi would come to finish what he started. Because Tetsuya was an Uchiha after all.

My fears during all those years were in vain. But I didn't discover this until Itachi revealed the truth behind his actions, a long and arduous mission to save Konoha and the name of the Uchiha clan while pretending to be a traitor of our village.

"You are and always be an Uchiha. A clan's name is not something to take lightly. As a woman, I'm proud to take my husband's clan name and I'm happy to become part of it. But like you, I didn't know that my father was the son of a Senju but also a descendant of Hamura Ōtsutsuki so by blood, I will always be a Senju.

You carry the blood of the Uchiha, the village's strongest clan and descendants of Indra Ōtsutsuki. That will never change. You don't know this, but your birth certificate shows your full name as Tetsuya Uchiha, only it has been kept in the secret archives of the Third Hokage."

Tetsuya seemed to cheer up after listening to what I just said. He turned to look up at his uncle, the one that unfortunately wouldn't be around to help him master his Sharingan.

"Asura, Indra, Hamura… all Ōtsutsuki. Were they related?" My clever boy questioned and I smiled before I answered.

"I will tell you in detail when you're a bit older but yes, they were all related to Kaguya. The woman that almost wiped the Alliance of Four Great Countries during the last war single-handle. She had two sons: Hagoromo and Hamura-the ancestor of the Hyūga clan.

Hagoromo sons where Indra and Asura, Indra was the oldest and inherited the dōjustu from his father, the origin of the Sharingan. Asura was the ancestor of the Senju. They fought against each other, the same way their descendants, the Uchiha and the Senju fought many years after, Madara and Hashirama, Sasuke and Naruto."

"But you and my father didn't fight even though you were a Senju and he was an Uchiha…"

"No. Instead of destruction we created a life, you. You will be one of the strongest shinobi of all time because what happens when the power of the Uchiha, Senju and even Hamura is combined?"

"Uchiha and Senju are all descendants of Hagoromo and Hamura was his brother so… the power of Kaguya has been reunited?" Tetsuya guessed correctly.

"You have inherited your father's perception after all."

"It could be your mother's as well…" Sasuke added. Tetsuya turned to look at him.

"Do you really have to go, Sasuke-oji?" Tetsuya asked with pleading eyes.

"Yes. I want to ensure that Itachi's efforts weren't for nothing and there's a certain someone that I need to find before it's too late. I'll be back before you know it. If you're worried about the Sharingan, Kakashi is more than capable of helping you since he wielded our clan's dōjutsu for most of his life. When I'm back I'll test your new skills, deal?"

"Hai!"

 _A certain someone._ Sasuke was referring to Momoshiki, one of the members of the Ōtsutsuki clan that in the future would turn my unborn son into evil and eradicate the shinobi world. We were aware of this fact because Tetsuya, not long ago, traveled from the future with the objective of interrupting this.

Both my sons would turn into shinobi with unparalleled strength, one that this current world hadn't witnessed yet. And if this would fall into the wrong hands, there would be no one capable of stopping them.

Sasuke had committed to finding him before he had a chance to come looking for my son as part of his redemption journey. Like his older brother before him, he had chosen to take on all the responsibility on his shoulders by himself.

I knew I couldn't stop him and I couldn't go with him. The only power I had on my hands was to raise my kids in a way that they would never take the dark path of hatred.

It was no small responsibility. If failed, it would be the end of this world.

* * *

 ***** The dream with Itachi is explained on **Misaki and Itachi Shinden.**

 **NOTE:** Hello and welcome back!

I hope you haven't forgotten about me as I took so long to get part 3 started! For those who are new to my stories, please note that this is a continuation of stories 1 & 2 of the Misaki series so I recommend reading these two first :)

 **Undercover: Misaki of the Leave (Misaki #1)**

 **Misaki: True Power (Misaki #2)**

The next chapter won't take as long, I promise!

Ja ne

xx


	2. Chapter 2 - Sasuke returns

**CHAPTER 2**

 _Almost five years later - March,_ _ **22 aNb**_

Many years had passed since the day of my wedding. The morning after that day, Sasuke left the village leaving a sad Sakura behind but, instead of just waiting around for him, Sakura had been working hard, healing the injured after the war and opening a mental clinic with Ino to help the children who struggled with the stress and deaths that the war had caused.

I had watched her running around the village countless times, overworking herself to the bone and ignoring the concern of her friends for doing so. But I understood the reason behind it all, her heart had been bare since the day Sasuke left. And I had been there too, when Itachi left the village. During the years that followed, I not only worked on countless missions but also volunteered in the orphanage every single moment that I could.

Luckily, I had good news for her. I knew Sasuke was on his way back to the village before the falcon he sent to Kakashi with the news had reached the village.

"Misaki sensei!" Sakura greeted me when I approached her in her clinic. She was writing something on her notepad.

"Hi, Sakura! Working hard as usual, I see?"

"There's so much to do and so little hours in the day. Can I help with something? I need to finish this report… Hmm, why are you smiling?" She asked me when I couldn't contain my grin. It took her a second and a half to connect the dots. She knew I would be the first to know when Sasuke was going to return and she had asked me, many years ago, to let her know as soon as I found out. I was here fulfilling my promise.

"He's… coming back?" Sakura asked. I nodded. "When!?"

"He'll be here before dusk."

"S-S-Sasuke-kun is… oh…!"

"I think you should welcome him at the gates, don't you think?"

"Y-Yes, I'm going to finish this report and then go home and then I'll go there!" She said in a rush.

I wanted to see Sasuke's as soon as possible but I thought it would be best for Sakura to see him first.

I could wait.

A few hours later, I was with Kakashi in his office. He had a pile of documents on his table that he was trying to get through before the end of the night. I was filing the ones he had signed so he didn't waste any time. However, looking at the time and the size of the pending papers, it didn't seem likely that he'd be home tonight, again.

There was a knock on the door before it opened and Sasuke walked in without waiting for a response.

Sasuke was wearing a high-collared shirt covered under a brown poncho and a blue sash around his head which flattened his usually spiky hair. He looked wiser and mature after spending so many years away from the village in search of the members of the Ōtsutsuki clan. Regardless of how he had changed physically, the most noticeable aspect was the change in his expression: the darkness and guilt that he had shown until now was no longer visible, it had reverted back to the type of person he was prior to the massacre. Whatever he had been looking while being away had been found. His heart and soul seemed to be now in harmony.

I smiled at the sight of him and I was surprised to see Sasuke return the smile without reserve.

"Tadaima." Was the first thing he said.

"Okaeri." It was good to have him back.

"Good to see you, Sasuke. I receive the report you sent earlier, thank you. I think we're really close to find out the truth about the missing shinobi thanks to the information you provided." Kakashi told him.

"To have more than a hundred shinobi suddenly vanish without any sign of a fight means the person behind it is probably a genjutsu user. While I was searching for cues on those shinobi I also found out something suspicious about Orochimaru's work, and if it involves Orochimaru then there's a possibility of having something to do with the Sharingan." Sasuke explained.

"I see. So that brought you back to the village."

"No. I felt it was time to come back home, at least for a short while."

Kakashi and I looked at each other perplexed. To hear Sasuke admit that he was going to take a break was something we've never heard before. I suspected that it didn't really mean he actually _needed_ but that there was something that he needed to do or someone he wanted to see.

"Okay… so, it that case-" Kakashi, as usual, seemed ignorant of Sasuke's intentions.

"Kakashi." I interrupted him. "Why don't you let Sasuke take a rest before writing a full report on the last events. He deserves it, don't you think? After all, he's been away for almost five years…" I said.

"Of course. Sasuke, take whatever time you need, I'll be waiting."

"Thank you, Kakashi. I'd really want to have some onigiri, I've come to realise that Konoha's cafe serves the best in all the Five Great Countries. Misaki-neesan?"

"Of course, it'll be my treat." I told Sasuke before looking back at Kakashi as an invitation.

"I wish I could but I got to finish all this paperwork." He said sulking.

"I'll bring you some later." I said before heading out of his office with Sasuke behind me.

Sasuke and I walked side by side in silence towards the cafe we used to go years ago. We sat on the table on the far right corner and the owner, Fumihiro, came straight away with two cups of tea. After looking at us, he went back to the kitchen to prepare our order. We didn't actually place one but I knew he would bring us just what we needed.

Sasuke looked at the vacant spot on my left and his eyes seemed to soften. He seemed to be thinking of something.

I looked at the same spot and realised I was looking at the place Itachi once used to sit.

Itachi, Shisui, Sasuke and myself. The four of us used to come to this cafe after every mission, and crowd around this table. Me and Itachi on this side while Sasuke and Shisui opposite to us.

In the past, I had thought life would always continue like that.

It had been absurd to imagine that we'd always continue to come here and eat as usual. Back then, I didn't think that there was a possibility that any of those times would be the last. But time has passed despite all that and the four of us couldn't be together again. First Shisui, and then Itachi...

This restaurant, this seat, everything was deeply dyed with the memories of those happy times that I couldn't return to. And it was because I didn't want to forget those memories that I kept stopping by this cafe, even now.

In spite of the pain that the vacant seats of two of my most precious people left, this table held the remainder of untroubled and happy memories.

" _Are you going to eat that?" Itachi nudged me with his arm and pointed at the plate in front of me with two hanami dango sticks, the ones that had one pink, one white and a green tea rice dumpling._

 _I looked sideways at him without turning my face. I hope that he got the warning I was sending him._

" _I will. When I finish the onigiri." I answered. Itachi's shoulders dropped even though he'd just finish his two servings of his favourite food._

 _While I was distracted with Itachi, I noticed a movement from the corner of my eye. Without turning to look I grabbed the culprit's hand that was trying to steal my dessert._

" _Shisui." I said while slowly turning to face him. "You know better than to mess with my food. I will hurt you if you ever take any of these from me!" I said in a stern voice. I was mainly joking, wasn't I?_

" _Argh!" Shisui leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head. "Misa, you're always eating so slow and your food is always calling out to me, what do you want me to do?"_

" _Get your own! Add another portion to the ones you've already eaten!"_

" _But yours always look better!"_

" _Let me eat in peace! I like to taste and enjoy my meal instead of wolfing down the food like you animals!" I was a bit annoyed at this point and maybe overreacted a bit too much._

 _After a few seconds of silence, the three Uchiha bursted out laughing. The embarrassment of my episode quickly faded away and I joined in the laughter._

 _I managed to finish the rest of my onigiri without more interruptions but when I reached out to take the dango, I felt two pairs of eyes looking at me intensely. I tried to ignore it but the intensity just grew even stronger. Where they trying to use their Sharingan on me? How pointless._

 _I sighed. I handed one of the dango sticks to Shisui and the other to Itachi, both of them looking like a pair of kids on Christmas day while Sasuke watched amused at the boys' behaviour. The only kid in the table was him after all. Well, Itachi, Shisui and I were shinobi now so regardless of being twelve and fifteen years old, the Uchiha and I were no longer kids._

" _I only wanted the white one." Shisui took a bite of the middle rice ball, ripping it out of the stick and handed back the stick with the pink and green ones left._

" _Me too." Itachi said and did the same. He then added the pink and green from his stick into the one Shisui had just given me and I was left with a four-dango stick: pink on top of pink and two green ones. Just like a flower. The red bean and green tea dango were my favourites. Have they noticed I didn't really enjoy the white one in the middle all this time?_

When my eyes finally refocused, Sasuke was staring at me with the strangest expression on his face. He was smiling still, not brightly, just curiously, as if he somehow knew I had just been a hundred miles away. We stared at each other for a few seconds, though I couldn't say what either of us was thinking just then. Suddenly my chest shook with a sob I wouldn't let loose, one I didn't even realise had built up.

Sasuke reached out and placed his hand over mine and the warmth of his skin calmed my body down.

"I need your help with something." He said, quickly taking my mind of the flashback I just had.

At that moment, Fumihiro brought our meal: two portions of onigiri for Sasuke, one onigiri for me with two dango sticks. Sasuke and I smiled at the same time before thanking the owner.

Without a word, Sasuke removed the white dango from the sticks and left them on his plate, then transferred the remaining ones into a single stick. Just like Itachi did back then. Had Sasuke been thinking about that time as well? My heart warmed at the gesture.

"What is it?" I asked when I got over the initial shock.

"I saw Sakura when I arrived at the main gate."

"Ah-ha…" I wasn't going to make it easy on him, I guess it was a female pledge since Sakura had been holding on him all this time.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at me, he knew I knew but I was sticking to Sakura's side.

"I thought I was like a brother to you?" He tried to play _that_ card on me.

"You are. That doesn't give you any free passes."

"Alright… I guess I deserve that. After all I've done to my friends, the village, _her_ … after all this time, do I even have the right to even approach Sakura?" He finally admitted and I smiled.

"That girl… had her eyes on you since you were kids. She always defended you, believed in you and waited for you. You have already repented for your sins, you saved the shinobi world with Naruto from Kaguya and help the village from the shadows for the last five years, keeping the peace we have been enjoying. Sakura was the first to welcome you back, can't you see her love hasn't even faded one bit?"

"Yes, but…"

"You _deserve_ to be happy and find love." I disputed the silent fears that I knew were going through Sasuke's mind. "She's the one that was on your mind all this time, am I wrong?"

"No."

"Then go home, take a shower and sleep, then tomorrow, put on new clothes and take her on a date. It's about time. You'll see all your fears fade away once you spend time with her."

"Where… Hmm…" Sasuke seemed lost for words.

I started laughing out loud. Sasuke Uchiha. The boy, well, now a man of twenty-one, who always seemed so sure of himself and never looked afraid of anything, looked like a lamb about to be devoured.

"Sorry, sorry. Just take her somewhere where you both can relax, maybe some park where there aren't many people around to ease both of your anxiety."

"Fine. I know one place, a cliff by the sea just outside Konoha."

"Sounds perfect, Sasuke. If you need anything else, just let me know. If you need male advice I can always get Kakashi…"

"Fine, fine! It's only a date! Take it easy!"

I couldn't help but laugh again. Teasing Sasuke had become my new favourite hobby.


	3. Chapter 3 - Flowers

**CHAPTER 3**

It had been a week since Sasuke had returned to the village but, due to a mission on the Land of Water, I hadn't had the chance to find out about his first date with Sakura.

As soon I stepped into the village I headed to Sasuke's location, easily locating him with my sensory skills. Not that I ever stopped sensing him, it was like there was an invisible thread connecting me to the people I was close to, the stronger the bond, the stronger the link. I didn't have to mold my chakra to sense them, the truth was, I was subconsciously sensing my loved ones without me having to do anything nor using up any chakra.

My sensory skill was something that had come naturally since I could remember. I never had to learn how to use it, it was an innate ability. The first time I remember having this skill was when I was merely four and my older brother Jiro was killed in battle. I was at home helping mom make the dinner when I felt something inside of me break. It was that link I had with him. I didn't know at the time what it meant exactly but the hole that it left inside of me told me it wasn't good. Mom knew straight away but didn't say anything, I believe she had the same ability. I had inherited the skill from both my parents since my father was known as one of the best with this ability.

If I wanted to locate someone, it was different. I had to send my chakra through one of these threads to do so but if a link was broken I'd always felt it without exception. Unfortunately, many of these threads had been broken, my oldest brother, mom and dad, Jiraiya sensei, Itachi and even Kakashi when he fought Pain.

That's as much as I could understand about this but I wish I could fully do so because something inside of me had me feeling uneasy, like a warning bell letting me know something was happening. Without knowing who to search nor the link that was causing this tingling sensation I couldn't find out. There were countless threads that could be the cause and they weren't 'lined up' inside of me, it was more like a bundle.

I did my usual check for my family: Kakashi, Tetsuya, Eiji; they were fine. Then my closest friends and comrades: Kurenai, Guy and their former teams, Team 7 and 10… It took me a few seconds to determine that everyone was safe and sound so, what was I missing?

I stopped overthinking about it when I finally spotted Sasuke at the flower shop.

"Wow, I never thought you'd be a man who likes to gift flowers. Is that really you, Sasuke?" I said behind him.

"Asks the person that can detect any impostor?" He asked slightly turning his face towards me. He wasn't wrong. Because of the way everyone had a different chakra signature, I was able to see past any transformation jutsu the way members of the Hyuga clan could with their visual prowess.

"So… I'm guessing the date went well?" I asked after noticing the way he was almost glowing with happiness.

"Yes, it did." I frowned at his response, what that all he was willing to share? I knew Sasuke was reserved but, come on, if there was someone he could talk about it, I knew that had to be me.

"I'm glad…" As curious as I was, I knew there was no point in pressing for more details.

"Misaki-neesan…" His tone let me know that he was about to open up.

"Uh-oh, full name and honorific? What have you done, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke had already grabbed a mixture of beautiful flowers and gathered them into a bouquet. From it, he took one singled flower out, a lily, and handed to me. It reminded me of the time when he was a kid and would collect a single flower from the forest to give it to me, he had copied Itachi after seeing do that once.

"That's beautiful, Sasuke. Thank you."

He turned around and paid for the flowers then began walking so I followed him.

"Sakura remembered my dream of joining the police force…" Sasuke began.

"Ah, the letter she sent you while you were away. She told me about it. Is that why you decided to come back?"

"Yes. During my redemption journey, I thought about everything that I've gone through and I've realised that Sakura was the only person I ever reached out to. The day Orochimaru gave me the curse mark, I was in great pain and the first thing I did was hold her hand, it helped me through the pain only I didn't realise at the time.

When the cursed mark took over me, it was only when I felt her hug me from behind that the mark receded. She was the only one that got through to me. Again, I didn't realise the emotional attachment I felt for her. Sakura saw me from what I was, I kid emotionally wounded and psychologically scarred who put on a tough, cold exterior and a barrier around him to protect the lonely, broken boy inside. And still, her love never faltered after knowing of the darkness that was taking over me.

After what nii-san did, I didn't want to trust and love anyone else to avoid being hurt like that again. That's why I stopped talking to you and ignored my teammates and comrades.

Before I found out the truth about nii-san, Sakura was the only one that managed to fill my lonely existence with this emotion… this _love_.

I was going to ask you how did you know nii-san was the one for you but…"

"You have already answered that question yourself." I said. "If you like the person you are when you are near someone, then you know. Because it's not about them, it's about you. It's all about the person you are, become, and feel when you are in their presence. If you are the best version of yourself you want to be for the rest of your life, then that's the best way to tell.

If this person listens and supports you in a way that no one else can, they provide you with a feeling of love and comfort that feels incomparable to anyone else. I had been very lucky in life to have felt this with two of the greatest men ever alive.

You know, the couples that are 'meant to be' are the ones that go through everything that is meant to tear them apart, and come out stronger than they were before. Even after what Itachi did, I still loved him. Loving him made me stronger, made me who I am. My life with Itachi wasn't meant to be but we had _real_ love and our love was reflected in our son, Tetsuya. He will always have a place in my heart for that.

But for you and Sakura… I think you know you two have the strongest bond. Sakura has been holding out for you through everything and I think you two can get through anything. She's the only woman that would understand your long out-of-the-village missions while also fighting side by side with you. Her strong personality and support cannot be matched…"

After saying all that, I felt lighter than ever. I didn't want to interfere between those two but I knew this was the time Sasuke needed a little push and, for the way he was staring at me, I think I had managed to get through to him.

"Arigatō, Misa-nee. How do you feel about having Sakura as your younger sister?"

"Eeeh?! What are you- are you serious? You've gone out for only one date!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was delighted but confused at the same time.

"I want Sakura to be my wife, I want her to show the Uchiha emblem on her back and carry on the Uchiha bloodline so the Uchiha clan's honour is restored."

"Well, I think it's her you need to tell that to. Who am I to tell you to slow down? I got married the day after I got engaged, didn't I? And your brother and I didn't exactly wait much before…" I blush at the memory of my teenage years with Itachi.

"Yeah, okay, okay! I don't want to picture that…" He was starting to say before the both of us were aware that someone was following us from behind. We turned around to find a beautiful woman with long blond hair and amber eyes. Neither of us had seen her before but for some reason, she seemed oddly familiar.

"Who are you?" Sasuke didn't bother with pleasantries.

The woman simply tilted her head and her eyes were piercing as she looked at me. Sasuke automatically moved his body so it blocked me from this woman's sight.

"I'm not here to fight, Uchiha boy." The woman began. "I just wanted to see with my own eyes." She added, moving to her right so she could look at me again.

My eyes flinched for a second. I didn't know this woman but I felt intimidated by her and it didn't have to do with her strength since it was clearly lower than mine. It was her eyes, the way she looked at me and the menace coming out of her pores that made me wary. Moreover, I couldn't gauge her intentions.

"Okāsan!" Eiji suddenly called out as he ran from the corner of the street to my left.

"Eiji! What are you doing here? What about the Academy?" I asked my son. It was the middle of the day so he should've been in class.

"Okāsan! I felt you coming back to the village so I left Kiba-sensei shuriken class when he wasn't looking!" He answered proudly.

"We'll have to talk about this later…" I told him before I turned my attention back to the woman in front of us. When I did, I found her staring at Eiji with a strange look on her face, it was a mixture of pain and longing.

"He's… he's just… he looks just like _him_." She said.

I looked back at Eiji who was looking back at me. For someone who had met my brother Jiro, they would've seen some similarities of his facial expressions and personality, but mostly, he looked just like Kakashi without the mask, a rounder face and hazel eyes like mine instead of black. His hair was almost identical to Kakashi's rare colour and style which was a signature style known inside and outside the village since he was the current Hokage. It was something that made him stand out of the crowd and scream, 'I'm the Hokage's son' for any possible enemy.

I pushed Eiji behind me, away from this woman's prying eyes, in turn, that seemed to anger her.

"You _wench_!" She screamed at me before moving forward with a short katana in hand.

Sasuke and I didn't waste a second and readied our kunai to block her but, just before she reached Sasuke, who was a step away from me, someone intercepted the attack, the quick movement made his white cloak weave in the air. It read 'Rokudaime' but I already knew it was Kakashi.

"Otōsan!" Eiji called out to him, his face peeking from the side of my hip.

When the woman looked at the face of the person who had stopped her, she seemed to lose all her strength, her arm fell to the side of her body, the kunai dropping loudly on the floor.

"Kakashi…" The woman whispered.

"Fu-Funami*? What are you doing here? And why are you attacking my wife and son?" Kakashi asked.

Kakashi knew this woman? I had never seen her in the village and he had never mentioned her, but for the way they were acting, it was clear they had been close. ' _... he looks just like him_ ,' she had said. She didn't mean his face, did she? Why would Kakashi show her face to this… woman.

I squashed the incoming thought, making my mind hurt for doing so.

This Funami woman reached out with her hand towards Kakashi's face and to my shock, he let her touch him.

"Kakashi… you promised… but you never came back…" She accused Kakashi with an uneven voice.

Kakashi grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his face. However, he didn't let go of that hand. He threw me a quick glance before turning back to _her_.

"Let's talk somewhere private…" He told her before vanishing from the spot.

I kept staring at the spot Kakashi had been standing, and I felt Sasuke look at me with worry while the two ANBU that had followed Kakashi looked at each other questioningly.

* Funami: from Japanese 楓 (fu) meaning "maple", 名 (na) meaning "name" combined with 巳 (mi) meaning "sign of the snake".


	4. Chapter 4 - Summit

**CHAPTER 4**

 _Fifteen years earlier. Kakashi (21),_ _ **7 aNb**_

It had been almost ten years since I joined the ANBU but our last mission had been the worst I had to complete in all these years. My team had been sent to the Uchiha compound to pacify a brewing rebellion, only to find the entire clan dead. And thus, our orders had been to collect all the corpses from the compound and clear the area before the village awoke.

On top of carrying the bodies of the unfortunate members of the Uchiha clan that had been annihilated, I found out that the culprit of that massacre was no other than Itachi, a former member of my team and who was merely thirteen years old.

I had been a failure as his captain, completely unaware of his intentions and unable of having a better influence on him. Could I've changed anything if I had realised before, save any lives? What had driven such a talented and sensitive shinobi to commit such atrocities?

Standing by the sink of my kitchen, I washed my hands _again_. I felt the blood of the countless bodies embedded into my skin. It felt like _that_ time again when the blood of another Uchiha lingered on my hands for months after he died… Obito, would you have also been along the rest of your clan if that boulder didn't crush you to death?

Death, blood… death and blood. Over and over again.

In this shinobi world that was the only things I was getting. I didn't want any part of it anymore. I just wanted to live a simple life, doing a normal job and then coming home to read and rest. Was that so much to ask for? I had to find a way to leave this way of living before I'd lose my mind.

"Kakashi-senpai." Tenzō's* voice called out through the entrance door.

I sighed, instead of spending time on finding a way out of this, I'd been summoned to yet another mission.

"Are you sure about this?" Tenzō asked behind me. After a couple of months of arrangements, we were at the summit where the meeting of the daimyō of the Five Great Countries was about to take place. I'd just used the transformation jutsu to change into a man with average facial appearance. I began to remove the mask covering my new face and although Tenzō was about to see an unknown man's face, he seemed to be wary of it.

The risk of using this technique was the constant emission of chakra while mentally maintaining the form. It was only an E-rank technique but if I were attacked by surprise, for example, I could lose control of my chakra and thus, the jutsu, ending up revealing my face. Something no one had seen, at least no one alive.

"Yes. If everything goes according to plan, I won't have to engage in a fight so I'll be able to maintain this form for many hours a day." I answered as I turned to look at him.

Tenzō's eyes were wide as he looked at my face. Even though it wasn't my real face, he looked at it intently, as if trying to look through it to see my real one.

Tenzō was disguised himself as a daimyō of the Land of Water while I acted as his personal bodyguard alongside Kō, one of the members of my ANBU team. The mission was simple, gather information in regards to the daimyō of the Land of Earth to find out if he was the one in contact with Orochimaru and the organisation he had apparently joined, the Akatsuki. The real daimyō of the Land of Water had tipped the Hokage on this information and had given us his permission to pose as him while he stayed hidden.

Even though no one had seen my face, many people knew of my father so I couldn't simply show it while posing as a shinobi of the Land of Water. It was too easy to make the connection thanks to our resemblance, hair colour and style. I had kept my height but made my body a bit more muscular.

I opened the doors into the meeting room. Everyone was already at their seats, leaving Tenzō's seat the only one unoccupied. As he sat down, Kō and I, stood behind him as we observed the members sitting on the table and their respectively escorts.

Kō was a member of my team, Team Ro. When Itachi was assigned to this team, Kō was upset since he believed the Uchiha were behind the Nine Tail's attack, the one that killed his younger sister. He had been monitoring Itachi's movements and was very hostile towards Itachi. Not that I couldn't blame him after the Uchiha massacre.

However, he was an important member of my team thanks to his great sensory skills. He had volunteered to this mission in this goal to locate Itachi, who had also joined the Akatsuki organisation, and who he wanted to eliminate to avenge his sister.

"We can now start." The daimyō of the Land of Earth spoke. Behind him, a sole escort stood, it was a female. She had very long blond hair but it was her beauty that struck me. At this point in my life, I knew appearances were deceiving but I couldn't help but wonder if the daimyō had chosen the right person to be in charge of his protection.

When she realised I was staring at her, her eyes bore into mine in a way that made a shiver run down my spine and, what I thought would follow, a scorn, turned into an inviting smile.

Perfect. The best chance to gather information from the daimyō of the Land of Earth had just been laid at my feet…

"Tera-san?"

I turned to look at the blonde that had called my false name. I had just left the building and was heading to get some lunch for the "daimyō". Like the rest of the guards, we were to fetch their respective daimyō's food due to the risk of an attempt to poison their lunch. I was surprised to see that she had left the daimyō of the Land of Lighting by himself.

"I'm just a shadow clone. He's safe." She said without me asking.

"Funami-san, isn't it?" Her name was probably the only one I remember after everyone was introduced.

"Yes. Do you mind if I accompany you?"

"Not at all." I replied.

"This summit will take several days. It's going to be a drag…"

I chuckled at her comment.

"If you feel lonely at night… I'll be happy to keep you company…"

I stopped in my tracks. I wasn't ready for her forwardness. My plan was to seduce her, and here I was being seduced instead.

"That's an offer hard to refuse. What is it exactly that you're after?" I asked.

"You want to find out if our daimyō is the one dealing with the Akatsuki, is it not? I'll save you the trouble. He is."

"W-What are you saying? Should you be telling me this?"

"As a shinobi of the Land of Lighting, no. But I had enough of this shinobi world, the wars, the hidden plans and consequent deaths. I don't want to spend the rest of my life like this. I want to leave it all behind…"

It took me a moment to find my words. Not long ago I was telling myself the same things.

"Leave it all behind… it sounds impossible." I murmured. "As shinobi, we have a duty towards our countries. It's not as simple as requesting to cease our responsibilities, the village will resent us and life won't be pleasant in what we now call home."

"It's not impossible. There's no need to stay in our village. There is the Land of Silence in a distant continent where shinobi can live as normal people. The only request to join them is to desert your village and the people you know so you can start from scratch. No one will look at you with accusatory eyes and you'll be free from the obligation that your village has forced upon you."

That actually sounded too good to be true.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her.

"I've been thinking about going there but haven't mustered the courage to do it as of yet. When you walked into the meeting room, I saw in your eyes the same expression I've been seeing when I look at myself in the mirror. I know you want out just as much as I do. So I thought… if there was someone else going there with me then I'd finally do this once and for all."

"So you need a companion."

She'd already given me the information I needed, saving me the work, so there was no need to follow the seduction strategy. The only thing missing was the details of the daimyō and the Akatsuki's collaboration. So, why was I even considering this? I didn't need to pretend to be interested in her or her plans.

"It doesn't hurt that you're a treat to the eyes…" She said in a sensual voice. It seemed like she knew what she wanted and would not back down until getting it.

I looked at her face closely. Her skin was flawless, her big amber eyes were bright as she eyed me. She had the kind of beauty that would stand out in any place, turning heads around as she walked, men and women. Her body was lean but it also boasted curves in all the right places. One of the heroines of the Icha Icha books I kept reading popped into my mind as I ogled… well, this was getting out of hand. I seemed to have lost all control of my manners.

On top of that, she was offering the thing I desperately wanted. A way out of the life lonely existence I'd been living and hating for the last sixteen years.

At that moment, I couldn't find a reason to deny her.

Like a man about to die of thirst that had been offered a glass of water, I reached out and grabbed her arm, pulled her towards me, making her body collide with mine, our faces separated by a mere inch. My head automatically leaned down to close the distance but the burning in my left eye, the one that was hiding the Sharingan under a thick contact lens, stopped me in my tracks.

As I looked into her eyes with my Sharingan, I noticed a thread of chakra that had linked her body with mine. It was similar to the puppet jutsu that controlled the movements of puppets like marionettes, only in this case, the threads were invisible to the naked eye, they didn't originate from her hands but from somewhere inside her mind and it wasn't really controlling my body but the workings of my mind.

I let go of her instantly, forcing the link she had made with my chakra to snap.

As soon as I did, I regained some clarity of my thoughts. The lust I had felt until a second ago almost vanished. Almost.

"Ah… you caught me." She said shamelessly.

"Why were you trying to control me?" I asked angrily.

"Controlling is not the right word. I was merely enhancing some of the feelings that I sensed from you."

"What do you mean?"

"I was merely giving you a push to thoughts that your subconscious had, things you would not normally do, like taking something you _wanted_."

"How do you know what I wanted?"

"I saw it in your mind…"

My eyes widened at the realisation of her words. I had been caught up in the moment. Ignoring that vague sensation in the back of my mind and not realising that she had entered my mind and read my thoughts. How much had she been able to gather?

"You compelled me to be attracted to you… is that how you want your future companion to be by your side?"

"You felt an attraction towards me when you first saw me. You can't deny it. I only tried to make that drive forward. I didn't force anything in you." She answered.

"I would appreciate if you don't invade my mind again." I said, turning around and walking away from her.

It was hard to understand what had just happened. This woman had been in my mind, the place where I hid all my private thoughts and feelings. I felt exposed, bared to a woman I've just met, and yet, for some inexplicable reason, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Had seen been able to see the details of our mission for Konoha? She was about to desert her own village so I hoped that wouldn't ruin it for me and Tenzō. Even if I considered abandoning the village, I wouldn't put them in danger by failing this mission. We had started it and it had to be completed.


	5. Chapter 5 - Orochimaru's experiment

**CHAPTER 5**

"Our daimyō is preparing to go and meeting one of the Akatsuki members." Funami said to me the following day. Today's meeting wouldn't take place until late in the afternoon, leaving several hours of free time.

After I caught her playing with my mind yesterday, I thought she would either back off from pursuing me or expose me to the rest of the villages. I didn't expect her to continue to help me in completing our mission.

"You can follow us and gather the proof you need." She added.

"Thank you." I said after a moment of silence. It was an opportunity I couldn't turn down.

Thirty minutes later, I was following Funami and the daimyō of the Land of Lighting into the forest until they reached a cave hidden behind a nearby waterfall. Without losing sight of them, I passed through the entrance and found an underground lab with familiar equipment so I wasn't surprised when I heard Orochimaru's voice.

"This one is almost the perfect vessel. Even without Itachi-kun's Sharingan, I've found the perfect candidate to use it as a host."

"I'm not interested in your sick experiments with corpses, Orochimaru." The daimyō complained as he looked at a clear water tank where the body of a young man was kept. I looked around the room but Funami was nowhere to be seen. She was probably waiting in a different room.

"Don't be mistaken. This is not a corpse. It's the body of a young shinobi with lots of potential I obtained many years ago. When I found him, his heart had already stopped but I was able to bring his body back to life only his mind stayed in a vegetable state. He was too young at the time so I had kept him in this special chamber, nurturing his body and organs to allow it to grow as he would've done if he was alive. He was destined to be one of the most accomplished shinobi but, unfortunately, he was killed in battle.

Until yesterday, I wasn't able to find the perfect soul to implant into this body but then, Kabuto found the body of one of the most talented and strongest shinobi and with his DNA, I'll be able to reincarnate him not as what he was before his death but, combining it with the original skills of this boy I've kept for years plus the additions that I've incorporated along the way, I'll be able to create the strongest shinobi of all times.

This won't be the usual Edo Tensei that Tobirama-sama created, because I won't be just recreating the shinobi's soul that Kabuto found, I will be bringing back to life this boy you see in the water tank. There will be no traces of the imperfections such as the darkened sclera that lets everyone know they are reincarnates. It will definitely be my greatest creation ever.

An incredible and talented shinobi reincarnated in the best vessel possible."

"Fine, fine. I really don't understand what you're saying, Orochimaru. I only came to hire the Akatsuki's services. The daimyōs of the Five Great Countries are all gathered for a summit nearby and I need you to take the daimyō of the Land of Water out while pretending to do the same with me. In the process, I'll be free of my strongest enemy while obtaining the aid of the other countries and I'll be one step closer to dominate them all." The daimyō ordered with a sinister smile on his face.

I had the proof I needed. The daimyō of the Land of Lighting was the mole in this game, the one selling important information while making use of the Akatsuki. I had to go back to Tenzō and alert him of the danger he was going to be in as he, or the daimyō he was impersonating to be exact, had been declared as the Akatsuki's main target.

I fought the curiosity that was taking the best of me to stay there and get a look at the body that Orochimaru was coveting. I was scared to recognise the face of the boy he was keeping but staying any longer would put my presence in danger and right now I had a mission to complete. I would inform Jiraiya about Orochimaru's location and activities and he'd be able to deal with him and whatever he was cooking up.

I quickly headed back to Tenzō since I heard that the traitor was about to return to the summit. He had been faster than I anticipated because he arrived a few minutes after I did. The meeting was about to start and almost everyone was in their seats. I couldn't think of an excuse to take Tenzō out of there without raising questions.

Tenzō looked at me questioningly and I simply nodded, letting him know that I had gathered the information we needed to complete our mission. He looked around, also looking for a way out of the summit but his thoughts were interrupted with the sound of a loud explosion and the consequence smoke appeared in the middle of the room.

When the smoke dissipated, we were able to see two members of the Akatsuki, one of them was no other than Itachi Uchiha. He was accompanied by Jūzō, a well-known member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. The latter was facing us while Itachi was facing the daimyō that had hired them. It seemed that the swordsmen with a thirst for blood was supposed to assassinate the daimyō that Tenzō was impersonating while Itachi would pretend to do the same with the traitor.

As if sensing our looks of surprised, Itachi looked over his shoulder at us. Recognition flashed in his eyes, followed by a second of concern. His Sharingan had been able to easily see past our disguise. He looked at Jūzō just as he was about to charge against us and, even though Itachi didn't move a muscle, I somehow sensed that he wanted to stop his partner.

I took a step forwards just in time to intercept the massive sword that was infamously known among all countries. Behind me, I felt Tenzō torn between jumping into the fight and staying in character, a daimyō with no combat skills, and I knew he would try not to blow our cover as long as possible. Kō ignored the closer threat, his main goal had always been Itachi so he went after him.

The fact that there were only two members of the Akatsuki attacking a room filled with the best shinobi of each of the Five Great Countries to protect the daimyōs, was a clear sign that those two had tremendous strength. Luckily for them, the other guards were only observing for now while staying close to their respective daimyōs and only Kō, myself and Funami were currently engaged against the enemy.

Between strikes and swings during my fight with Jūzō, I took a few peeks at the other fight and I came to realise why the daimyō of the Land of Lighting only brought Funami as his only guard. She was holding her ground against the Uchiha and seemed to need little help from my teammate. However, when Kō got hold of Itachi from behind, she took the opportunity to stand right in front of him and grabbed both his temples while looking at him straight in the eye.

For anyone else, that would've been suicide. I didn't know there was a single person who would get so close to a wielder of the Sharingan and voluntarily look into it, but it seemed that Funami couldn't care less. She was able to hold that position for a couple of seconds before Itachi broke the hold Kō had on him and in a rapid succession of kicks and punches, he threw both his opponents flying in different directions.

When I looked at Funami, she laid on the floor with a shocked look in her face. Her brows were furrowed while looking at Itachi, who in turn, looked concerned.

"Who would've thought that the most dangerous Uchiha would be so…" She began to say but stopped in her tracks as if she had been robbed of her voice, her eyes looking void of life. When I looked back at Itachi, his Mangekyo had been activated, trapping Funami on his genjutsu. Whatever she wanted to say out loud was something he didn't want to reveal but I didn't have the time to worry about that as Jūzō's restless attack continued.

As Itachi was focused on his genjutsu, Kō took the opportunity to pounce on him from behind again, throwing his body onto the ground before turning it to face him. The intensity of his punches while he pinned him there with both his thighs by Itachi's hips, revealed his intention to avenge her late sister, putting everything he had behind each strike as he blamed the Uchiha for the Nine Tail's attack on Konoha.

As Kō seemed to have the upper hand, Funami decided to move to my side and help me against Jūzō, standing to my right, she made the triangular sign with both her hands as she looked through the gap at our enemy. It was a sign I recognised as the Yamanaka clan used for the Mind Body Switch jutsu.

"You Konoha's shinobi are full of secrets, aren't you?" She said without taking her eyes off our opponent. I imagined she was referring to our disguise and whatever she had gathered from Itachi's mind, something I was curious about. A second later, Jūzō stood still, totally vulnerable against any possible attack.

"Do it." Funami commanded using Jūzō's voice.

Without wasting any second, I readied my kunai by applying chakra into it. I gave Jūzō a nod to let Funami know that I would strike so she could release her jutsu before my kunai hit the enemy so she would be safe. My right foot pushed me forward but as I inched closer, Jūzō's eyes became alive again, a smirk appearing on his face. I was confused for an instant before realising that he had been too strong to be held under Funami's jutsu, having pushed her out of her mind with ease. I took a step to the left, moving away from his line of attack and away from Funami.

The use of this jutsu put the user susceptible to attack while their mind was inside the enemy and because Funami's mind had been overpowered, she was now looking disoriented as her mind had been forcibly returned to her body. Thanks to my Sharingan, I was able to see Jūzō quick hand signs and know that he was going to use the Water Dragon Bullet jutsu against the defenseless woman and my body instantly moved to stand before her, quickly infusing chakra into several explosive tags attached to several of my kunai.

Jūzō's giant dragon began to move towards me as a threw the kunai towards it. The tags detonated on contact, blowing the water shaped dragon. However, and to my surprise, the droplets that it broke it into, kept advancing towards us and they weren't simple droplets. These still had chakra embedded into them, exerting force against my body and slashing my skin in the process.I felt the air being taken from my lungs with the force, my body colliding my Funami behind me. And when I opened my eyes, I was lying on top of her, our faces on the same eye level.

Her eyes were wide as she looked at my face, her eyes roamed all over it, making me feel conscious about it.

"Hatake… Kakashi." She whispered, guessing my real name.

My breath caught in my throat at the revelation that my face, my actual face, was showing after losing control of my transformation jutsu. I felt vulnerable and unbalanced.

"Senpai!" I heard Tenzō's voice behind me before a piece of cloth fell next to me.

Without taking my eyes off Funami, I pulled the material over my head and covered the lower half of my face. I never realised how much strength the mask gave me before this moment.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Tenzō's Great Forest jutsu attacking the Akatsuki, the countless sharp stakes going at them from all different directions. He had undone his transformation as well, as our cover had been already blown.

I grabbed Funami's left upper arm and whispered in her ear so only she could hear.

"This is your opportunity, you can run away now. With the commotion in this room, the daimyōs and their guards had evacuated. Your daimyō will be taken into custody for his betrayal and people won't realise you're missing for a while."

"You have to come with me." She pleaded.

"My exit won't be as easy. I'll need to provide my testimony so he pays for his crime… as soon as that's done, I will follow after you."

"Promise me."

"Hmm." I said with a nod. I wanted out. No more shinobi life, no fighting, no more losing family, friends, comrades… I could finally start a new life without having to look back.

"Juzō." I heard Itachi called his partner so I turned to look at them. "Our mission was to eliminate the daimyō of the Land of Water. Since this one was a fake, there is no point in us being here. Let's go back to our hideout." I watched them retreating and then disappearing out of our sight.

When I turned back to where Funami had been, I found the place empty. She had already run away and would be waiting for me to find her.

"Your last mission has been a complete success, Kakashi-kun." The Third said as I knelt in front of him. We were at the top of the Hokage's building while the sun shone brightly above us. The tone of his voice made me raise my head to look at him.

"When Minato died, I considered releasing you from the ANBU for a moment. He assigned you to the ANBU hoping to heal the pain in your heart caused by the deaths of your friends and to keep you close to him, but after seeing the effect it had on you, he regretted it. However, at that time I was in need of your strength so instead, I kept you as an ANBU that reported directly to me, hoping that Minato would one day forgive me for it.

I can't continue to be this selfish. I know the effect of being an ANBU has on you. The sadness in your heart intensifies day by day. I also believe, that keeping you by my side is not going to be of any help to you, in fact, it will only darken your heart further. Please remove your mask." The Hokage instructed and I did so.

"You are here relieved of your ANBU duties and will assume a new position." He continued.

"Hai!" I replied.

"You will be a jonin leader." Lord Third announced. The words took a while to register in my brain.

"Huh?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was this some kind of punishment?

"I might be wrong but having genin under your change might fill some of the emptiness that your heart is suffering. Having someone look up at you the way you, Obito and Rin looked up at Minato. You three were able to learn from him but, so did he.

I know that you have been searching 'something', a purpose… so please give this a chance and if I'm wrong, then you're free to do whatever is you wish to do."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Had the Hokage been aware of my intentions? Did he know about my plan to escape with Funami? I had been surprised many times in the past with his ability to know things no one else did, but this was extreme.

What did surprise me the most was the words "you're free to do whatever is you wish to do." Was he giving me the permission to desert Konoha?

* * *

 _Back in the 'present' time._

"You promised me." Funami repeated accusingly.

"I'm sorry." I replied remorsely. "Little did I know that having genin under my charge would change anything."

Funami looked at me questioningly, she didn't understand what I meant.

"When I returned to the village, the Hokage released me from my ANBU duties and assigned as a Jonin leader, he wanted me to become a sensei to some Academy students. The first few groups were unsuccessful but it was when the three genin that would become my comrades that I start to believe again.

My old team failed because we lacked something, teamwork, but I was able to teach them the essence of teamwork to the extent that they were the ones that save the world from Kaguya. The reasons for wanting to join you were all the wrong ones and it would've been a mistake to go through those actions. I had no way of contacting you and I thought that you would not wait for my arrival."

"But I did wait." She complained. "I've been waiting for all these years. Living the life that you once wanted, away from the shinobi world, the fighting and the wars. When I heard that you had become the Hokage, I couldn't believe it. Don't you see how wrong that is? That's why I've come to bring you with me, to make you see of the delusion that you've turned your life into."

"No." I said firmly. The woman was delusional. "Is that why you came to Konoha? Why you attacked my family? I need to know the truth." This was the reason I had taken her away from them, I needed to know.

"Yes. They are the reason that's holding you back."

"I'm sorry, Funami. There is no way I would come with you. I have found a purpose in life, a life partner that has given me the family I was missing, the sons that I have. There is no delusion. I'm finally happy."

"I can make you happier. Just give me the chance." She insisted.

"We're going back to the village and you're going to apologise to my wife and son before you leave Konoha to never return. Is that clear?"

"Fine." It surprised me that she wouldn't fight any further.

I teleported us back to the same place we were earlier. Misaki still standing in the middle of the street, she seemed to be looking for something in the surroundings. When her eyes met mine, she sighted.

"What is it?" I asked her as I approached her.

"I thought I felt someone lurking around." I was surprised at hearing that, she could easily sense anyone and didn't have to look to locate their location. "Is everything alright?" She asked after seeing Funami walk behind me.

"Yes. I'll explain everything later. I'm sorry to make you worry. Funami will be leaving now." I turned around and looked at her expectantly. She was also looking in the same direction Misaki was just now.

A smirk appeared on her face before she spoke.

"Fine. Mi-sa-ki." She began and I didn't like the fact that she knew her name nor the way she said my wife's name. "I apologise for my actions. It won't happen again. Enjoy your happy life while you can…"

Before Misaki could answer, she disappeared leaving a cloud of smoke.

* * *

 **NOTE:** in case you guys remember Chapter 38 of the first Misaki story (Undercover, you can find this on my profile), Kakashi had one more ANBU mission after this, when he had to guard Misaki as she hid in the woods a couple of months after the Uchiha massacre. I didn't include that here as in their encounter, Kakashi complains about the same reasons he wanted to leave Konoha. Just wanted to mention it :)

Ready for the next chapters? There so much that is going to happen! Can't wait to write all about them!

Ja ne xx


	6. Chapter 6 - Our first mission together

**CHAPTER 6**

"Misaki, I'm…" Kakashi began to say but I stopped him from saying any more by placing my index finger over his lips.

"It was stupid of me to think that I had been the only woman in your life. I will only listen to the details if you wish to share them, otherwise, I know I'm the only woman for you now. That's enough for me." I said to him.

Kakashi smiled under his mask, his eyes shining bright and full of love, love for me.

"I will tell you all about it but not right now. The reason I was already on my way to you before I was alerted by the gate guards about the intruder, was to assign you to an urgent mission. In fact, I need both of you for this mission." He said as he turned to face Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the tone of Kakashi's voice and the tension around his eyes.

"What is it?" He asked.

Kakashi gulped and shot me a glance before speaking. I put all my senses on alert for whatever was coming.

"I sent Sakura and Ino to the Land of Wind as Gaara had requested help for the opening of their own clinic, one similar to the one Sakura opened in the village for the children. On their way back, they were attacked and put under genjutsu. Ino explained in an urgent message she sent that Sakura managed to dispel it but by the time she did, the enemy had already closed in the distance and before she could defend herself, he injected some sort of drug that must've hindered her strength and chakra.

Their target was Sakura because Ino was left unconscious and when she woke up, she was alone. They had taken Saku-."

Before Kakashi finished his sentence, Sasuke had started moving towards the main gate. Unluckily for him, I was ready and quickly teleported into his way, placed my hand on his shoulder and brought him back to his original position.

"...ra." Kakashi finished his sentence with a sigh. He knew this was going to happen and that's why he had given me the heads up. There must've been something important he needed to inform us about before we headed out to get Sakura back.

Sasuke shook his shoulder to break the contact with me. His shoulders dropped in resignation, knowing that Kakashi still had vital information but also wanting to go and search for Sakura as soon as possible. He knew the least he resisted the quicker Kakashi would finish briefing us on the situation.

"There are two reasons why you two are chosen to go on this mission. First, the enemy is using Tail Beast chakra to fight and Sasuke is probably the only person that can go against that on his own. Second, the enemy is using a jutsu of some sort to make sure sensory shinobi can't track Sakura, Ino is in the area but she's going in blind. However, I'm guessing that won't work on you?" Kakashi looked at me for confirmation. I nodded.

"I can only sense the direction she is in but I don't think I would be able to locate her." Sasuke said with a frown.

"Hey. We'll find her and bring her back." I told him. "This would be our first mission together, Sasuke-kun!" I added trying to lighten up the mood.

Sasuke looked back at me and try to erase his frown but failed.

"Anything else, Kakashi?" He asked.

"Hmm, the whole situation looks like a trap so you need to be careful. The enemy is very powerful, they even put Orochimaru to shame on the way they've managed to create a drug to hinder chakra and another to emulate the power of the Tailed Beasts."

"Don't worry, Kakashi. Sasuke and I will be back in no time. I promise." I said before reaching out with my hand to his face and lightly brushed my fingers over his furrowed brow. With my touch, Kakashi's facial muscles seemed to relax.

He grabbed my hand and pulled it down slightly so his face could rest on my palm. Kakashi closed his eyes and inhaled once deeply before opening his eyes.

"Come back to me no matter what." He ordered in a stern voice that was trying to mask his anguish. I knew it was hard for him to send me on a dangerous mission, and if this one required not only Sasuke but another shinobi, then it was definitely a pretty dangerous one.

After the war and because of my pregnancy with Eiji, I didn't take any missions for a couple of years to raise our baby and when I told Tsunade that I was ready to return, I was sent to a few pretty dangerous ones. Not that I complained but I did miss the time away from my family.

Clever Tsunade.

Up to then, Kakashi had been avoiding taking over the role of Hokage even though she was clearly ready for retirement and as a mere Jonin, all he could do was try to convince her to assign the mission to another shinobi and failed, then watch me go. Then, from the moment Kakashi stepped up to the role of Hokage, I wasn't sent to critical missions anymore, nor ones that would keep me away from home for more than a few days.

I nodded at his request before dropping my arm and turning to look at Sasuke. He had been watching and his expression showed that he clearly wasn't in the mood to wait any longer. A took a step towards him.

"Get me as close as possible to whenever you're able to sense Sakura and I'll locate her from there."

Sasuke opened his space-time portal using his Rinnegan. It looked like a black hole and without looking back at Kakashi, I entered it.

It was the first time I had used Sasuke's portal but the feeling of 'moving without moving' was the same as the space-time ninjutsu Tobirama had shown me years ago. One of the differences was that Sasuke's dimensional void was visible and anyone who entered would also be transported. I had to be in contact with the person I wanted to teleport but it took a bigger toll on me that Sasuke's portal did on him.

The other difference was that, once inside his portal, I was completely cut off from the outside world and thus, I wasn't able to sense anyone. The feeling of not sensing anyone was alien to me and the moment it first hit me, my heart skipped a beat. When I used my space-time jutsu, it was to travel towards someone or something that was marked, so when I entered my dimensional void, everyone's presence was clear to me.

As soon as Sasuke entered it, I was aware of him, the portal was like an extension of himself and his worries, feelings and thoughts became a part of me. A took a step forward.

In the next instant, I was out of the portal and on the outskirts of the Land of Water. I felt my next step waver as all the chakra threads that connected me to my friends and family seemed to reattach to me. The feeling was overwhelming. Even the ones of my enemies, like that kunoichi Funami who seemed to go in and out of my radar and… seemed to be closer to the other presence that had been worrying me lately.

I felt Sasuke's warm hand on my right arm and my balance was restored.

"Which way." He said as a demand. He was looking away while he tried to cover the fact that the jutsu had used up most of his chakra. The space-time jutsu was something he had been able to use recently and it seemed that we had travelled quite far. However, he wanted to go and search for Sakura without delay.

I searched for Sakura and for the first time, I had to work on molding my chakra to be successful. The moment I sensed Sakura clearly was a second before a loud bang could be heard from a nearby building like it had been torn apart.

We both looked in time to see a female figure erupting from within the building shattering the rooftop, her closed fist glowing with chakra pointing upwards with her arm extended. Even from the distance, her pink hair was clearly visible.

"SHAAANAAARO!" She was screaming as she kept going upwards with the force of her impulse.

"Sakura?" Another female voice called out from the sky. Turning my attention to the right, I saw Sai's bird. On its back, Ino and Sai. They hadn't given up searching for Sakura and it seemed that they had been scanning the area from the sky.

After Sakura landed on the ground next to the building, Sai's bird moved closer to her and it seemed that they were exchanging a few words. However, from the distance, we couldn't hear a word. The conversation was cut short as the enemy, including ANBU members from the Land of Water, erupted from the hole that Sakura had punched through the ceiling. They faced each other and prepared for battle.

I was about to take a step in their direction to help them when I noticed Sasuke's rigid posture on my left. He was looking towards his left and away from me. I concentrated on my senses to locate any possible enemy in our surroundings.

Confusingly, I couldn't sense any enemy nearby but I sensed something in the direction Sasuke was looking. He was probably able to see something or someone with his dōjutsu, and whatever it was, I couldn't sense it but I did sense the void that it created.

I imagined it was at least one shinobi using a jutsu that made it impossible for sensor shinobi to detect them, to be more exact, the ones that relied on sensing other's chakra, the one Kakashi had mentioned before. However, I was able to notice the void they left, the emptiness and gap they left as I expanded my range was enough to pinpoint their location.

If I was to picture how my sensory skill worked, it was like expanding a thin sphere resembling a bubble from within me and covering a radius of my choosing. If the bubble came across humans, animals or even animals and plants then I was able to sense them and know their location. It was a 360-degree _sight_ like the Byakugan, after all, Hamura was one of my ancestors.

In this case, the bubble or sensory field, encounter a different kind of field, one that someone was projecting to avoid being sensed and when it did, the feeling was foreign to me as I had never come across something like that.

"Can you see them?" I asked Sasuke.

"Barely. One of them is using a field to mask their presence but I can still see their chakra network with my Rinnegan and the Sharingan, although to a lesser extent."

"How many?" I asked him.

"Two. Ten o'clock." He answered. I was already looking that way since that's where I was sensing the strange void. However. I couldn't see them with my eyes yet.

After a few minutes in silence and unmoving, I saw two figures exiting the bushes in front of us. My eyes registered them only an instant before it hit me. I don't know what it was, I only know the intensity of it knocked me out of my senses, my strength… everything went dark for maybe a few seconds that felt like an eternity, my body falling as I had no control of my limbs. I didn't sense his arm around me, but I knew Sasuke would catch me before I hit the ground.

The ringing in my ears began to fade and one by one my senses began to return to me. The first thing I felt was the weakness in my body as it felt heavy all over. Then I felt Sasuke's warmth wrapped around me, his right arm holding me securely. He was shaking me lightly but it was only after a few seconds, that my hearing came back to me that I heard him calling out my name.

"Misaki. Misa-nee…" He was calling me in a flat tone but I didn't miss the strain in his voice. I smiled at the thought before I opened my eyes.

Sasuke's fully activated eyes were the first thing I saw. He had probably been checking my chakra and internal organs to make sure I wasn't injured. I wasn't but I felt off balance.

"Your chakra…" Sasuke started to say before someone else spoke.

"Isn't that lovely?" A female voice I recognised too well said in a nasty tone. I imagined she was referring to the position Sasuke and I were, our bodies mostly in contact and both of us looking into each other's eyes. I didn't really need to turn to see that the voice belonged to Funami but I still did, and when I turned, I was surprised to see that there was a man, whose face was hidden under a large hood, next to her. It wasn't a revelation since Sasuke had said there were two people, but the fact that I was surprised startled me. When was the last time someone had caught me by surprise? Probably never, thanks to my sensory skills which…

I gasped when I realised what it was.

"What is it?" He asked as he looked into my eyes.

My pupils widened and I turned to look back at Sasuke with panic in my eyes. His expression mirrored mine before he looked around us to locate the culprit of alarm. I made a move to stand up and without looking back at me, he helped me do so.

"It's okay, there's no one else. Just keep your eyes on alert." I told him to calm him down but didn't explain, I didn't even know. I also held onto the top of his arm because, for the first time in a very long time, I felt completely vulnerable.

The reason for my fear was the lack of my sensory input. Up until now, I had relied on it completely but now, I wasn't able to sense anything, not even the Uchiha right next to me. I felt like someone could be standing behind me without me knowing. Hearing, vision, touch… those were senses undeveloped compared to any other shinobi in battle because I never relied on them. It had always been my sensory skill that allowed me to sense chakra and other's intentions.

Unlike Kakashi who had lost his Sharingan after many years, he had developed all his other senses. I had my speed, ninjutsu and taijutsu, but without knowing where to go or hit, I felt completely blind.

"What are you after? Why did you take Sakura hostage?" Sasuke questioned the two individuals standing in front of us.

"The girl? We had no interest in her. She was just bait." The man answered and the sound and tone of voice caused goosebumps all over my skin. "It's you we're after. Your Sharingan."

"And everything you have. Everything that should've belonged to me." Funami added locking eyes with me. I narrowed mine at her. What did she mean by everything? Kakashi? My family? She couldn't expect me to just hand them over, did she?

"I'll take it from you whether you want it or not." She said, answering my internal question. "Why do you think we made it impossible for any sensor shinobi to locate the girl? We had to make sure you'd be the one to come here with Sasuke so I could claim what had been mine from the start."

I ground my teeth. It was unsettling to be unable to gauge her intentions, to read her chakra in order to predict her next movement. Thinking back to what had just happened, I realised that whatever hit me had 'blown up' a switch in me. It was the moment the man in the hood had released his shield. At that moment I felt a very intense chakra feed hit me at the core of the source of my skill. The intensity of hit was far too great for my body to handle and thus, the overload had caused a fuse to blow and my sensory skill was currently disabled. I hoped it was only temporarily.

While I was lost in thought, I noticed the hooded man had disappeared from my field of vision, only to find him about to strike Sasuke as I was about to turn to look at him. The enemy was extremely quick but thanks to his Sharingan and his ability to sense chakra, Sasuke was aware of the enemy's intention so was able to block his first strike. However, to both our surprise, his strength seemed to be out of the ordinary and Sasuke was sent flying backwards and slamming against a nearby rocky wall, causing a dent in it. Except for Naruto, who was on par with Sasuke in terms of strength, I only knew of only one person able to take Sasuke down so easily, and she had been sealed years ago, Kaguya that is.

Realising that our battle had begun, I turned to look back at Funami only find the spot she had been a second ago empty.

"Your senses are completely offline, just like _he_ said they'd be." Funami said close to my ear as she stood right behind me. I didn't hear her approach me, didn't feel the slight change in the air that her movement caused. For a moment, I felt like beating myself up for not foreseeing this happening and work on my other senses for this kind of situation. By the time I started to turn to face her, I was too late. Her leg was already about to strike me and send me in a similar manner as Sasuke had been, my body colliding with another section of the rocky wall, the impact taking the air out of my lungs.

My eyes had closed when I crashed into the hard surface and when I opened them back, Funami was already hovering over me, both her hands glowing with chakra, one of them closing into my stomach and when it reached its target, my eyes turned to the back of my head. I felt like an idiot, incapable of doing anything against this woman that wouldn't have been a match to me in different circumstances. The next series of blows blurred into each other and everything I tried, any movement I attempted to do were futile.

My body had never been put through this kind of pain and because of that, my brain didn't seem to be able to handle it and in turn, it wanted to switch itself off until the pain subsided. I fought the urge to let go and close my eyes but the pull was stronger than my will, and before I lost to it, I caught sight of Sasuke trying to come to my aid but was stopped by the man in the hood as he hit him from above with enough force to cause a new dent on the ground.

Darkness took over me and the sound of Sasuke coughing up what most probably was blood was the last thing I heard.


	7. Chapter 7 - Powerless

**CHAPTER 7**

 _Sasuke_

I didn't know what this guy was made of but it couldn't be human.

His speed was extraordinary, possibly faster than Misaki's. But it was his strength and the way he moved that I couldn't grasp, like he was barely making an effort yet I was thrown around like a mere doll. Even after fighting Naruto for hours, I didn't feel this much pain and exhaustion, and we've only started not even two minutes ago. With Naruto, our fight had been mostly steady, our punches and jutsu counterbalancing each other, slowly growing in intensity as the fight required.

On the other hand, this was clearly a one-sided fight and I was on the losing end. No matter how hard I try to hit this man, it felt like I was hitting an unyielding and unbreakable surface, my strikes barely doing any effect on him.

The sudden loud choke coming from Misaki made me turn my face towards her. She was being overpowered by Funami, trapped between the rock behind her and the blonde, and she was taking a good beating. It wasn't like her to be in that kind of position. Since I was a child I had seen her fighting and not once I have seen her so vulnerable.

She had always been ahead of her opponents thanks to her innate skills but this time, her movements were sloppy and with no control. I knew she wasn't invincible because I heard about her fight against the Six Paths of Pain after they destroyed Konoha and I also saw her lose against Madara. She bled like anyone else as he stabbed her with a katana, just like he had done to me earlier. In my case, I had many counts of lost but fights compared to her it was nothing, she had only two. However, since the pair had made their appearance, Misaki had acted strangely, even scared so I wondered if they'd done something to her senses or chakra so she wasn't able to anticipate the enemy's movements and intentions as usual.

Misaki's chakra control was usually strong, she knew how to quickly redirect it towards the point of impact if she was unable to avoid getting hit, reducing the effect by protecting herself, something that didn't happen very often but that would drive her enemies to despair after struggling to land a hit on her. But now, as I looked at her chakra network, I could see this was barely moving and rapidly fading thanks to the blows that Funami was putting her through.

Ignoring my opponent, I made a move towards Misaki but right after my first step I got slammed from above for doing so. The force of the hooded man's strike probably broke a few of my ribs as my body hit the floor. I tasted the iron in my bloody mouth mixed with dirt from the ground when I spat the blood to clear my mouth. When I looked up, Misaki was closing her lifeless eyes and not in the way someone would do when falling asleep. My body turned cold at the sight.

"Where do you think you're going?" The man asked as he stood by my side, the sole of his foot pressing down on my shoulder to keep me there. With a kick, he turned my body around so I was laying on my back. None of my limbs responded and I wondered how many bones this man had broken in such a short time.

My eyes widened when I saw his hand slowly reaching out to my eyes. I felt like a _déjà vu_ from the time nii-san made the same movement when he defeated me in our final battle. At the time, I thought he would take my Sharingan but because I had no strength left to move and every cell in my body hurt, I could only stay there and wait for the outcome. Itachi simply poked my forehead with a bloody finger like he always did when I was a kid but I doubted this man would do the same.

"Not so fast." Another man said.

I wanted to look at the newcomer who had just spoken but my eyes were glued to the hand that had frozen a few inches away from my face.

"I thought the whole point of this was to take Sasuke's Sharingan." The man who still hadn't removed his hand away replied.

"Yes. But there's a reason to why we took the girl. To kill the one he cares the most in front of his eyes and unlock its true potential."

Blood boiled in my veins. To think these people would use Sakura for that purpose. I stopped myself from turning to look at Misaki. It was a blessing that they didn't know about our relationship, that I considered Misaki family and that killing her would also unleash the power of my doujutsu. I could still feel her chakra so I knew she was still there.

"She's escaped but I'm going to get her back. Keep an eye on Sasuke for now." The man added before I heard him walk away.

The hooded man took something out of his pocket and it turned out to be a syringe. I didn't like the look of it.

"There's a few shinobi on their way as back up." He said looking over at where Funami and Misaki were. "I doubt Magire will be able to do accomplish his purpose. However, I'll be able to make a synthetic Sharingan in the meantime, it'll be enough for now. _Father_ will be happy with that."

I guessed this Magire was the person behind Sakura's kidnapping and I made a mental note to never forget his voice so I could make him pay for what he'd done if I got out of this.

In a quick movement, the syringe stabbed into my left eye and the pull that I felt from it almost made me puke. It felt like my life core was being taken away from me. After he did that, he took another syringe and repeated the action from my right eye, the one with the Rinnegan. Not only that, he applied some sort of jutsu that left me partially blind, as I realised when I opened my sore eyes.

Everything was blurry as if I wasn't wearing the glasses that would correct my now poor sight and not only that, I knew the Sharingan had been deactivated and my Rinnegan wasn't able to see the chakra flow that it usually did.

"They're coming." He said to his partner who didn't answer and I heard the rustling of the nearby tree's leaves as they seemed to quickly teleport out of here. I was relieved for whoever was on his way, whether friend or foe, at least it mean that my eyes were safe for now.

I rolled over and spotted Misaki unconscious form, her back against the wall but her body was bent over to her right side, her long hair covering most of her face.

I tried to ignore the pain in my body as I crawled over to her. I wished I was able to read her chakra before I got to her because I was scared to find out she was beyond help. As I got closer, the weight of my heart was lifted after I saw the slight movement of her chest through my blurry sight. If she was breathing it meant that she was still alive.

My body gave up on me as soon as I reached out and held her cold hand. I heard steps coming our way and I hoped it was Sakura and the others coming to rescue us as I wouldn't be able to do anything against another enemy at this point. My instincts were telling me it would be our comrades but I couldn't look because my eyes were now shut, my brain following right after.

* * *

"Sakura, you should go home and rest. Sasuke-kun will be fine, his injuries had been healed, he just needs some time before his mind can wake up." My hazy mind registered Tsunade's voice say to her.

I then realised there was a warm hand wrapped around mine.

"Sakura…" I tried to say but it only came as a mumble. The hand's hold tightened.

"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun!" She said impatiently. Probably a bit louder than my ears could handle.

"Always so annoying…" The left side of my mouth lifted up before I slowly opened my eyes. My eyes hadn't recovered yet but I managed to see Sakura's teary eyes as she looked at me.

"You're okay!" She cried before throwing her arms around my neck. I let myself enjoy the warmth of her body against mine and wrapped my arm around her. To think she had been in danger because of me…

"Where's Misaki?" I asked against her silky hair.

"She's fine. Just like you, Tsunade and I had healed her extensive injuries and it won't be long before she wakes up." She answered as she leant back and motioned to her right. I then realised Misaki was on the bed next to mine, Kakashi sleeping in the chair by her bed.

"When we found you, you were holding onto her hand and even in your unconscious state, you wouldn't let go of her, so we thought to keep you close… What is it?" Sakura asked when she noticed me squinting my eyes as I looked over to where Misaki was. She was about a metre away from my bed but my eyes didn't seem to focus.

"My eyes…" I answered as I rubbed my hand over them to try to clear the haze. It didn't work.

"You're eyes?" Tsunade questioned as Sakura looked at me dumbfounded.

"There were two shinobi that attacked us, one was Funami, the woman that infiltrated the village earlier on, and the other was a man whose face was hidden by a hood." I began to explain.

"Only _two_ people did this to you?" Sakura interrupted me.

"Actually, it was just one, the man, since Funami just went after Misaki. He took some substance out of both my eyes with a syringe and my since then my sight has been compromised in addition to the inability to activate my Sharingan."

"That's terrible news. I have never encountered a wielder of the Sharingan with an eye injury. I'll need to investigate and see if I can find a solution if it's not a temporary side effect from the injection." Tsunade said.

"He might have also applied a jutsu or chakra into my eyes. I can't really remember it right now." I added.

"Oh, Sasuke. You're awake, I'm glad." Kakashi said as he slowly woke up and sat up on his seat. His voice, in turn, seemed to stir Misaki.

"Kakashi…" She whispered waking up.

"I'm here." He said simply, grabbing her hand with both of his. "You gave us quite a scare but I'm glad you're back."

"I am… Ouch." Misaki pressed the side of her temple with her free hand and closed her eyes in pain.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked worryingly.

"It's fine, it's fine. I think I just need to rest some more. Can we go home?" She answered. Kakashi looked up at Tsunade to confirm it that would be alright.

"That won't be a problem. Her mind just needs some time to heal and catch up with her body. She needs plenty of rest and home would be the best location for that. I will check on her regularly, Kakashi." Tsunade answered.

Misaki seemed a bit disoriented, looking around the room and at the people in it.

"You're okay." She said looking at me, I wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement.

"I'm fine, just a little issue with my eyes." I told her.

"Can you see what's wrong with my chakra?" Misaki asked me.

"Your chakra? What do you mean?" Kakashi questioned, bringing her attention back to him.

"Misaki's chakra was tampered by the man in the hood and she wasn't able to use her sensory skills after that. I'm sorry, I can't help you until my eyes return to normal." I answered for her, I couldn't confirm it with my eyes but that was the only explanation as to what happened to her. Misaki agreed with a short nod.

"My, my." Tsunade complained. "Let's get you back into shape and then I'll have a look at that. First let your mind recover, okay?" Misaki nodded first then turn to look at Kakashi.

Kakashi helped her stand up and then they left the room. It seemed that Misaki couldn't wait to get back home which was understandable but I felt a little stung for being left behind. It was a bit silly because it wasn't like I was a little child anymore, one that would need her older sister to take care of him. Also, I had Sakura by my side who was looking at me with a worried expression on her face.

"Sakura, thank you for being here." I said to her as I got lost in her emerald eyes. It took Sakura a few seconds to register the meaning of my few words but if anyone was able to read through my tendency of compressing my feelings into short sentences, it was her. Sakura's face suddenly turned pink, her eyes widened before she lowered her eyes. I wanted to keep looking into them so I lifted her face with my fingers.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun… what are you saying?" She said timidly.

"I won't always be in the village but when I do, I want you to be my side."

"Oooh, I leave you two lovebirds alone…" Tsunade said before opening the door and leaving this room. I didn't take my eyes of Sakura but I heard her leave and shut the door.

"When we first became a genin and after our battle with Haku, you were there when I opened my eyes. In the Forest of Death, after Orochimaru gave me the Curse Mark it was your hand I held on to for strength, and your embrace that brought me back when I lost control and then you supported my tired body to walk back. When I was hospitalised, you were the first person I saw when I woke up and your arms around my neck the first thing I felt, making me feel secure.

I tried many times to take your life in a futile attempt to cut you from mine. All because I thought you were my weakness. But I was wrong, it's taken me far too long to realise that you are my strength. If it wasn't for you, I would've been lost long ago.

Your feelings and emotions have finally reached out to me and I won't ever let go of them."

"Sa-Sasu-" I didn't let her finish saying my name, instead I place my lips over hers.

The world that had been spinning until this moment seemed to stop and finally settle. The way I knew life suddenly had a different light to it, the walls that I had built around my heart crumbled, also letting the love that Misaki, Naruto and others had been trying to force upon me during the last years. My heart seemed to swell and the warmth of it reached every part of my body.

I felt finally at home.

The following day, I was released from the hospital and headed straight to Misaki's home to check up on her. That day, Kakashi turned me away as she wasn't feeling well. The day after that, I tried again in the afternoon. I knocked on her door and Kakashi opened it a few seconds later with a dejected look.

"Sorry, Sasuke. Misaki still needs some time. She's having nightmares when she goes to sleep and doesn't want to leave the house just yet. As soon as she feels better, I'll let you know."

Without waiting for me to say anything, Kakashi started to close the door but Eiji's head popped up before he did. His eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Sasuke-oji! Can I come out and play with you?" He said happily.

I looked at Kakashi who simply nodded.

Eiji put his shoes quickly and jumped to my side. He seemed happy to leave his home. But as soon as Kakashi shut the door, his face turned downcast.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Okāsan… Okāsan is hurting. She won't leave the bed or play with me. Sometimes I feel like she's back but then she'll start screaming and throwing things. She won't even let me stay in the room with her, she only wants Otōsan… I don't know what I've done wrong…" The look of despair his face made was heartbreaking.

"It's going to be fine, Eiji. Misaki had gone through a tough time and she needs a bit of time." I tried to console the little boy. I could only guess Misaki was going through a post-traumatic stress disorder caused by our recent event where we were both almost killed. Sakura had explained to me earlier that people going through something that would often have nightmares and flashbacks from the incident and wanted to be isolated from the feelings of guilt. Problems with sleep, irritability and lack of concentration were other symptoms.

I knew seeing me could become a trigger that would remind her of that day so I had to wait patiently. All we could do was give her time and be there for her for when she was ready to confide in us. Misaki was strong and I was sure she'd come around.

"What about shuriken training? Do you think you've become better than me?" I asked the boy in an attempt to take his mind off it.

"I did! I've been training with nii-san and I'm the best of my class, I'll show you!" His smile was contagious and I couldn't help but pat his silver hair. He was the spitting image of his father but I was glad he took after Misaki in personality.

"Where is Tetsu, anyway?" I hadn't seen my nephew in so long and I wondered if he still resembled nii-san.

"Nii-san," he began, addressing his older brother in the same way I used to address mine, "was on a mission with Lee-san but I hope he comes back soon. Maybe it would make Okāsan happy." Damn, wrong subject.

Luckily, we reached the training grounds and Eiji was eager to show me his new skills. Even though he was only five, I could tell he was more talented at throwing shuriken that I had been at his age. He was even able to bend the throws to reach targets at an angle.

I was impressed and terrified at the same time because of the level of his skill showing at such an early age. Nii-san and Kakashi had been the same at that age so it wasn't a novelty, still, it left me on edge, knowing that this child would end the shinobi world as we currently knew. Something his older brother had shown us when he came from the future.

The sun was starting to set when Eiji froze mid-throw.

"Nii-san!" He yelled turning around. He was facing towards the direction of the main gates.

Forgetting about my condition I tried to activate my Sharingan, a sharp pain in my left temple followed right after. I applied some pressure there with my index and middle fingers to relieve the pain, cursing the horrible timing of this inability to locate my nephew.

I caught up to Eiji soon after he had started to run towards the gates. I held him by the shoulder and he looked back at me with worry in his eyes. He must've sensed his brother was in danger but I couldn't just let him go to him, especially in my state. The way he was acting made it obvious that Tetsu was either in danger or in a bad shape.

"We need to get backup before we go to your brother, it might be dangerous." I told him.

At that moment, Kakashi materialised with Mikasi on his heels. She looked nothing like the kunoichi I had always known, her posture and movements resembled that of an Academy's first-year about to learn her first jutsu, unsure of herself and of the potential of her body.

Misaki was looking in the same direction of her son, having sensed her first born on his way back to the village either injured or in danger.

"Eiji, get behind me, now." Kakashi commanded his son and he did as instructed while a group of ANBU and Jōnin gathered around our little group.

"Hokage-sama, an individual got through the barrier undetected and attacked Lee-san and Tetsuya-san as they were returning from their mission. The did something to Tetsuya's Sharingan before they escaped and alerted us of the incoming attack from a group of shinobi with no land affiliation. They're almost here."

As if on cue, the hooded man appeared. Even with my poor sight, I was able to recognise him.

"Oh, there's a welcome party waiting for me?" He said mockingly before measuring up the shinobi in front of him. He didn't seem fazed at all by the ANBU nor the Hokage but after experiencing his strength first hand, I couldn't blame him.

His eyes locked on Kakashi and then he removed his hood as if waiting for his reaction.

From the corner of my left eye, I noticed Kakashi's form become rigid, followed by a sharp intake of air. Turning to look at him fully, I saw his eyes wide as saucers, there was even a twitch in his head, like if he wanted to look away but couldn't.

Kakashi finally looked away and turned to his left to look at Misaki, who was now holding both her temples as if in pain so I turn back to look closely at the face that was causing a stir.

His face was one I've never seen yet I felt like I knew him. He had long straight black hair tidied into a low ponytail like nii-san used too, only his hair was a bit shorter. He had a handsome chiseled face with clear lines and big black or maybe dark brown eyes. Eyes that had the same shape as Misaki's, even the shape of his nose was. Then I realised his overall appearance was very similar to hers. As if he was the older male version of… Misaki.

I turned back again to look at her and who probably hadn't yet blink during the few seconds these thoughts run through my mind. I felt that she was probably having an internal battle on whether to believe her eyes or what her brain found rational. Just like I was. I did another take, from the unknown man, and then back again to her. I couldn't believe my eyes but there was no other explanation even though it didn't make sense. Not one bit.

"T-Tet…" Kakashi mumbled.

"What is it, Kakashi? Don't you recognise your former classmate?"


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

 _Classmate?_ That was another point that would confirm my fears. If this man was the same age as Kakashi then he was the same age as…

"That's…" Kakashi whispered.

"Impossible?" The man interrupted.

"But you…"

"Died?" He added with a sinister look as he slightly lowered this face with his eyes still glued to Kakashi.

Kakashi seemed to be deep in thought.

"So it was you." Kakashi finally managed to finish a whole sentence. "In Orochimaru's lair. You were the vessel he was coveting to create the strongest shinobi." He said after recalling the mission where he and his team had to infiltrate the Daimyo's Summit.

Where… why are you here _now_?"

The not-so-unknown-now man diverted his eyes towards Misaki so Kakashi didn't waste a second to reach out to grab her arm. However, that wasn't quick enough because his hand was still two inches away from her by the time the man had materialised in front of Misaki, his index finger casually moving the hair that was covering part of her left eye.

"Isn't it obvious?" He answered without taking his eyes from Misaki's face. "I'm here to take my little sister where she belongs."

 _Sister._

I guessed as much. From what I'd heard in the past, Misaki's eldest brother, Tetsuya, was eight years older, just like Kakashi, a great shinobi because he fought in the Third Great War even though he must've been only around twelve at the time. Not even Kakashi, who had been a prodigy shinobi from an early age was allowed to get into _that_ battle.

What I didn't know was that he would look so alike her except for the black hair along with the intense dark look and demeanour that reminded me so much of _my_ brother. Nevertheless, hearing him call Misaki his sister confirmed my fears and shocked me to the core since both her brothers were supposed to be dead since the War that happened over twenty years ago.

"Sister?" Misaki finally spoke. She was looking up at him with surprise and… joy?

Kakashi must've noticed as well because his hand began closing the distance to grab her but before it reached its target, Tetsuya grabbed his wrist and twisted it in a quick movement forcing Kakashi's body to twist in the air and drop on the ground.

The ANBU and other guards prepared to attack but stopped when Kakashi lifted his free hand.

Still holding onto to Kakashi's wrist, Tetsuya pulled up to help him stand.

"Sorry, Kakashi. It was a knee-jerk reaction, didn't mean to throw you on the floor." He let go of Kakashi's wrist and Kakashi patted his trousers to take the dust off of them before looking at him in warning. The two of them faced off.

"I won't let you take Misaki anywhere."

"I figured as much. You've taken good care of my little sister all these years but it's time she comes to where she belongs, to his family. I'm his family, after all, we're flesh and blood."

"I'm his husband, the father of our child." Kakashi objected between clenched teeth, leaving young Tetsuya out of the exchange since that would connect them both by blood too.

"Her youngest but not his first-born." Tetsuya pointed out, letting him know that he knew about him and probably the reason he had targeted his Sharingan before. How did he know the reason my nephew had Uchiha blood was something that I had to find out. Although if he'd seen Itachi when he was young and still remembered him then it wasn't that hard to figure out.

"You will not take Misaki away from me." Kakashi insisted. There was an edge of panic in his voice. Tetsuya looked smug after noticing that.

"I won't need to. Misaki will come to me on her own accord. When you fail -and fail you will - she'll realise the place where she belongs is with me, with his brother. You don't have the ability nor the power to protect her from what's coming. She will realise that her and _my_ nephew only have a chance of survival by my side and there won't be anything you'll be able to do. I'm sure you're aware that once Misaki makes up her mind, nothing nor anyone can change that.

This so-called peace you Konoha shinobi think have obtained after defeating Kaguya Ootsuki will be over soon."

"So what's your goal? If there's an incoming enemy threatening the shinobi world, wouldn't the best option be to unite against it?" Kakashi questioned.

"There's no chance for shinobi to win against it." Tetsuya answered simply.

"Then why…"

"Attack Konoha now? To weaken it before the impending attack and make it easier, obviously?"

"And you're hoping to get on the winning side, I guess?"

"Only Misaki, my nephews and I will be able to do so."

"Why? Why only you?" The level of panic in Kakashi's voice had raised considerably since Tetsuya was planning to take Eiji as well, Kakashi's biological son. He had adopted young Tetsuya, nii-san and Misaki's first child, and treated him as his own but up to now, Tetsuya had not mentioned Eiji.

Tetsuya didn't answer this time. He simply smirked at Kakashi's question, clearly keeping the truth from them.

Kakashi frowned at his reaction, looking from Misaki to Tetsuya before looking at me with a pointed look. I reckoned that he must've come to the same conclusion I made, something to do with our knowledge of Misaki's lineage which was the same as his brother Tetsuya.

By the time I registered the movements, Kakashi and Tetsuya were in a one-to-one full-scale battle and after I blinked I realised a group of shinobi that the ANBU had mentioned earlier were also battling the village's shinobi, clearly leaving Misaki, Eiji who was hiding behind his mother, and me out of it. We could only stare at the fighting around us.

The ANBU seemed to hold their ground unlike Kakashi, who couldn't hold his ground against Tetsuya. The scene was all blurred out as I watch Tetsuya toy with Kakashi, cursing once more the lack of my doujutsu, something that Tetsuya had clearly planned.

However, I was able to clearly see the moment that Tetsuya made a mistake when he missed blocking one of Kakashi's strikes and Kakashi taking advantage of it by quickly creating a stream of purple electricity on his right hand, his Purple Electricity jutsu created after the loss of his Sharingan. This jutsu was used to attack the enemy from a short-to-midrange and it was used like Chidori which was used in the past to strike the hearts of people such as Rin, killing them instantly.

Kakashi must've been considerably affected at Tetsuya's intention to take his family away and didn't hesitate to take him out of the question as fast as possible.

His hand just barely inched towards Tetsuya when Misaki suddenly materialised on his line of attack. It was way too quick for me to follow the movement but I knew that because of that, Kakashi wouldn't be able to stop in time. His hand surrounded by the purple lighting was about to reach Misaki's chest when she easily deflected the attack by simply moving her right arm to grab Kakashi's wrist while looking at him in the eye. On contact, the stream of electricity seemed to vanish.

"Misaki?" Kakashi asked completely taken by surprise. As expected, Kakashi had barely registered the movement, his eyes looked down at his hand almost touching her then looking back up with a terrified look. He had almost made the same mistake he did long ago when his attack had pierced through the girl's heart that had first loved him. At that time he only realised that she had been there when it was too late, having been blinded by his thirst to kill the enemy.

Behind Misaki, Tetsuya smirked again.

"So it's begun." Tetsuya said so low that I wasn't sure he'd said it.

"I…" Misaki trailed off. "I can't just stand there and let you kill the brother I thought I lost years ago and losing him all over again."

"Are you…?" Kakashi didn't seem to be able to ask the question, afraid of the possible answer.

"Not choosing sides. But I won't let either of you kill each other, I'd rather you kill me so I'll stand in your way every time. You will have to go over me. Keep that in mind."

I think Kakashi and I gulped in unison. The thought of having Misaki going against him or any of us for that matter suddenly felt... terrifying. Surely, we had sparred and seen her in action against other enemies but for what I just witnessed, the way she effortless parried Kakashi's most powerful jutsu like it was nothing… it seemed she had held on to us when we trained together.

Kakashi was, after all, Hokage. To become one you had to prove to be one of the strongest shinobi and to witness no other than his wife overpowered him so easily didn't dwell well on anyone. It wasn't that we suddenly saw the Hokage as a weak person but it felt like we all suddenly view Misaki with new eyes.

To make things worse, the fact that she had also absorbed the jutsu was something I don't think either of us was aware of. It was similar to the way Kaguya had done during the war. Way too similar to the point of leaving me on edge.

Misaki was without a doubt an elite kunoichi but she had always kept a low profile, her skills were probably overlooked because of it and I wondered to what extent these could go on to.

* * *

 _Kakashi_

Misaki let go of my hand and took a step to the side and I felt the distance in my soul. As if she'd just cut the invisible tether that connected us and put this invisible barrier between our bodies. Or maybe that happened before and only now I realised this fact. I sucked in a sharp breath to ease the pain, to try to calm myself down.

I didn't recognise my own wife. For the past few days, I only focused on her getting better after the attack that put her in a coma. The same person that had caused that was standing next to us, her own brother, the one she would protect against me. The one that claimed that she would go to.

Fear trickled down my spine when the siblings locked eyes and then seemed to have a silent conversation.

Would she really side by him?

Would she turn against her own village, her family and friends?

I wasn't a match against Tetsuya, even Sasuke had been quickly defeated. But going against him with Misaki by his side was suicide.

Tetsuya was probably at Pain and Madara's level. The two shinobi that had won against Misaki in the past. He had messed up with her sensory skills before she had even readied for battle. He had easily taken Sasuke's most powerful weapon in a matter of seconds so I had little hope in Naruto who was at Sasuke's level. Together? Maybe they'd had a chance but currently, Sasuke was unable to fight.

To make things worse, there was apparently an enemy that even Tetsuya claimed he was unable to defeat. To think the scope of this person's power was something my mind couldn't grasp.

I wanted to believe Misaki wouldn't leave my side. I wanted to trust her. If anyone else would've come claiming these things, I wouldn't have doubted her for a second but my current enemy was her own brother. Nothing made any kind of sense. His return, the fact that he was alive was another matter altogether. But ignoring that fact, he had been a shinobi of Konoha, he should be siding with us and working to protect the village.

While I dwelt on these thoughts, Tetsuya signalled his comrades to retreat. That didn't make sense either. They had the upper hand and still, they left the village like someone simply walking out of their house. Most of my shinobi were beaten so there wasn't anyone capable to stop them.

"Shall we go home?" Those were the first words my brain seemed to register.

Misaki had been talking for a while but up to that point, all I heard was a ringing noise in my head mixed with my own thoughts.

I turned to look at her surprised. After everything that had happened, how could she expected me to just go home?

"Hm, you go first. There will be a lot for me to do right now. I'm the Hokage, remember?" I didn't want to be harsh towards her but I couldn't stop myself from saying the words.

Misaki placed a hand on my shoulder and in the next moment, we were standing in the middle of my office.

The movement to my right caught my attention and when I looked, I saw Eiji and Sasuke in there as well. Sasuke seemed surprised and it was because he had been teleported without a warning. He shook his head slightly before he looked at me.

We didn't need to say that Misaki had teleported him and Eiji along without any kind of contact. That wasn't how her power worked. She could teleport herself and anyone in her contact to a previously marked location, and yet, Eiji and Sasuke were a good ten steps away from us. Her power didn't seem to stop surprising us.

"They're both marked and so is this room." She answered our silent questioning. Could she read minds now too?

"Hokage-sama." One of my Anbu announced after materialising by the door. "All the intruders have left the village, leaving many injured but no casualties. The most affected area was near the hospital. A few even entered it and raided our medicine supply. We're not sure if they were targeting a specific drug at this moment but Sakura-san is doing an inventory to find out. The teams are already working on repairing the damage and the medical team is dealing with the wounded."

"Thank you, Shinga. Keep me posted." I told him right before the disappeared.

"I'll take Eiji home. Hurry up and finish your duties. I'll be waiting at home." Misaki said coldly, walking towards the door with Eiji on her heels. Our son looked confused at the whole situation but decided to stay quiet.

I wanted to keep her in the room and talk about what had just happened. To get an insight into what was going on in her mind, to get an idea of what her intentions might be. However, as the Hokage, I had a bigger duty to the village so I let her walk away.

It felt like my heart was being torn apart.

* * *

 **NOTE:** Hello and Happy New Year 2018! Apologies for not updating since Xmas! I just couldn't make my mind up on how the story would continue as I had different ideas but I really hope you guys are enjoying it so far. Please let me know!

From now on, I will have some more free time so should be able to update more regularly. Bear with me!

Ja ne xx


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

 _Meanwhile, in a remote unknown location..._

Two of the shinobi that had attacked Konoha were standing by Funami's body as she laid on a bed inside a dark room light only by candles. One of them was a med-nin.

"How long?" Asked the one that was watching the med-nin inject some sort of medicine into Funami's IV drip that was connected to the line in her left hand. There was perspiration all over her skin, her eyes closed while her chest slightly raised and fall but, other than that, she was unmoving.

"I'm not sure. Her body doesn't seem to be fighting anymore. Last time, she lasted a week, which leaves us two days but it could be less." The med answered after finishing.

"Will that be enough?"

"It has to be. We won't get a second chance. The power must be awoken before _they_ arrive, otherwise, it will be the end of us. It's our only hope."

"I hope you're right." He said in a low voice.

"Well, there's no turning back now. We've made Konoha our enemy, we've weakened them. The process of creating a drug out of the Sharingan has been a failure so we have nothing to work with. With Sasuke incapacitated, Konoha is basically defenseless."

"They still have Naruto. He was one of the people that defeated Kaguya last time."

"No, you idiot! Naruto is training in Mount Myōboku, completely unaware of the situation. We made sure of that so he wouldn't return too early. That's why we were instructed to trap the messenger toad." The med-nin complained.

"Let's just hope _they_ don't arrive now. Tetsuya-san alone won't be able to do anything against them."

"That's all there's left for us to do now…"

* * *

 _Kakashi_

The moment Misaki closed the door behind her, dread overwhelmed me. I hadn't said anything, maybe I should've, but I thought that at least, at the very last moment, she would realise one very important matter.

I stared at the door, hoping that she would come back and rectify what she's just done.

Five seconds, ten, fifteen, twenty…

"I'll go and check on Tetsu." Sasuke, who I completely forgot was in the room with me said.

I looked at him and his expression probably mirrored mine.

As the Anbu informed us, Tetsu had been attacked and targeted because of his Sharingan. He was probably at the hospital being treated and being taken care of but, to have his own mother go home instead of checking up on him was out of order. She hadn't acted herself for the last few days because of the recent trauma, was amnesia another of the side effects?

Six hours later, a ton of paperwork and missions assigned, a visit to the hospital to find Tetsu sleeping with Sasuke by his side, I was opening the door to our house.

"Okaerinasai!" Misaki's chirpy voice welcomed me. She was standing in the lounge, wearing a flowery apron I've never seen, her hair up in a bun and a bright closed-eye smile on her face.

The scene froze me on the spot. First, I didn't expect her to be so cheerful after today, second, I didn't even know she could transform into the perfect housewife in a matter of hours, and third, her enthusiasm actually rubbed into me.

"Ta-tadaima." Without removing the smile from her face, she looked into my eyes. I was now standing next to her so she reached out and lightly caressed my face. I felt a current run from her warm hand to the base of my skull and all the way down my spine.

I was glad to feel that the link between us hadn't been completely severed.

"You're beautiful." The temptation to kiss her was too strong to deny any longer. My mouth descended, fusing with hers, creating a hum of energy between us. I kissed her plump lips, swiping my tongue across the bottom one, it tasted so good, like home, like my past, present, and future, I needed her, I needed her so bad. It had been a long hard day and I wanted for once to forget about it all and lose myself in her.

I was completely lost in a frenzy when the sound of the fridge door opening stopped me in my tracks, like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head.

My hands untangled from Misaki's hair although I didn't remember the action of doing so but didn't miss the frown that she did from the corner of my eye as I turned to my left to find Eiji reaching out to get a bottle of orange juice inside the fridge, his back to us and completely unaware of what we had just been doing in the middle of the area between the open-plan kitchen and the living room.

Eiji turned and smiled when he noticed me.

"Otōsan! Is Tetsu home too?" He asked, looking around the room, his smile fading.

"Not yet, he's currently resting in the hospital and Sasuke is with him. He'll be back home in no time." I answered and then pointedly looked at Misaki.

"Lee came to let us know that his safe and sound, except for the same issue Sasuke had with his eyes." She said casually.

"You didn't _go_ to visit him?" I asked accusingly.

Finally, Misaki had a guilty look.

"The hospital...it brings back bad memories. I didn't have the courage to go back there. I know he's fine, I can sense his chakra and Lee confirmed it…" She said trying to justify herself.

"You can sense chakra again?" I was surprised to hear that. It was a good sign, she was finally recuperating and hopefully, she'd be back to normal.

"Yes, not fully but enough. Sorry for making you worry all these time. I just need a little more time to get control of everything going on, my thoughts, my powers, my feelings. Inside of me, it's all in turmoil but I'm getting there. Please bear with me?" Her voice broke, making me feel guilty for the ill thoughts I had regarding her actions.

"You don't have to ask, Misaki. I'll always be here for you." I answered bringing her hand to my lips. "Let me go to sleep for a couple of hours, I need to be back in the office straight away but I wanted to check up on your and rest for a little while."

She didn't seem happy at that but decided to keep quiet. I knew I spent more time in the office than at home with her and the kids and I've been telling myself that I would change that soon and make up for the lost time. However, months and years kept passing and instead, I'd spent even longer sorting out the village paperwork and other matters that Shikamaru kept bringing to my desk. I just hoped that by the time Naruto would take over the role, it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

 _Misaki_

I woke up and opened my eyes. I knew I had done so although I couldn't see anything as darkness surrounded me. My body felt heavy and then I realised I was encased in a whirl of water, only it wasn't really water because it wasn't wet. I had no clothes on me yet I didn't feel cold.

Was I dreaming? It definitely didn't feel real.

Gradually, I began to be able to see. I was now laying on the bed next to Kakashi, his back to me. He was sound asleep, probably worn out from his constant daily duties as the Hokage. I extended my hand to touch him but the substance that surrounded me became denser, stopping me from reaching him. I tried to fight it but it was too strong.

Suddenly, I was standing upright, floating in my bubble as I looked down at myself in the bed, completely removed from my body. I watched myself reach out to Kakashi as I've just tried, only this time, it was able to wrap her arm around Kakashi's body. I felt a pang of jealousy, I wanted to feel the heat of his body, not just watch, it felt that it has been ages since I did. But as long as it was me, why should I feel hurt?

Kakashi stirred before waking up and turning to face the me in the bed. Watching from a different angle allowed me to feel the look of adoration on my husband's face as he looked into _her_ eyes with a new sense of pride.

"Have I been sleeping long?" He asked.

"Just a couple of hours. One of your guys is almost here."

"I'm sorry I'll probably have to go soon. You know I don't want to leave your side."

"Do you love me?" The other me asked, surprising both Kakashi and I. I knew he did. We didn't say it often because we were always sure about each other's feelings. They were that, after all, feelings. _Love_ was just a word that anyone could say and when the love we had for each other was almost tangible, those three words were unnecessary.

It took Kakashi a few seconds to answer, and I wondered if he had been sharing my thoughts. From where I was standing, I couldn't feel his feelings, as if my cage were blocking them.

"Misaki." He said in a slightly higher tone of voice. "I love you. Nothing can change that, ever." His voice was firm but I wasn't sure if it was to convince _me_ or himself.

I watched myself claim Kakashi's lips with an open mouth. His tongue invaded mine, his body closing the distance in a quick movement that pushed my back against the mattress while Kakashi hovered above my body. With one hand, he grabbed both my wrists and pulled them above my head then pushed them against the comforter. I looked away, the jealousy burning me from inside out. I wanted to be connected to my body and _feel_ what I was witnessing instead of a spectator from a first-row seat.

I wanted to wake up from this dream that felt like a nightmare.

The knocking on the window stopped all the sounds coming from the bed and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Hokage-sama." Genma, my now favourite jōnin, called out. When I looked towards the window, I could only see his knuckles against the glass and the tip of the sebon he always had between his lips. Hopefully, he hadn't peek before he knocked since the curtains were drawn back.

"Yeah?" Kakashi stood up and opened the window slightly.

"All the critically injured are now in a stable condition."

"Thank you. Anything else?"

"That's all, Hokage-sama. Shikamaru asked me to make sure you rested for a few more hours before returning to the office so please continue to… ahem, _rest_." Genma said in an embarrassed voice before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

My cheeks felt like burning and I knew I would probably avoid him for a couple of days.

Kakashi turned back to the bed, his hands pressing the sides of his temples as I watched myself reach out to grab his t-shirt.

"I do need a few more hours of sleep. Let's continue what we started after that, okay?" He said as he subtly grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on the palm. Of course, he needed the rest and yet I saw my other self-pout. I guess I could be foolish sometimes.

"Misaki, are you daydreaming again?" I male voice behind me called out.

As I turned, the whole scene changed in a blur around me. I was no longer trapped in a bubble by my bed but standing in the backyard of my old family home. It was nii-san who had just called me, my eldest brother Tetsuya, and, next to him, seating on the wooden steps of the veranda was Jiro-nii, my older brother by 6 years. They were complete opposites in appearance, Tetsuya had long black hair while Jiro's was short and white, and yet, their facial and body features were almost identical except for the few inches in height. They both looked to be in their mid-twenties or how they would've looked like if they hadn't died in the war.

Nii-san had his arms crossed over his chest, he seemed upset about something while Jiro-nii seemed amused as he looked at me. Unable to control it, a sob escaped my lips and instantly, they're expressions turned to worry.

Jiro-nii pushed himself off the steps and punched our brother in the arm.

"You're pushing her too much, onii-san! Let her have a break first and then she'll do better." Jiro-nii said before he took a step in my direction.

Nii-san was in front of me before Jiro-nii had finished that first step.

"What is it? Did you hurt yourself in the last attempt?" He reached out to my left arm, lifted it and inspected it from different angles. In my hand was a wooden stick covered in yellow paint. I looked to my right and saw about twenty wooden dummies lined up aleatory along the backyard, all except for two, had yellow marks on them.

"Misaki?" He asked again, bringing my attention back to him.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, nii-san. I'll try again." I answered vaguely.

"Let me show you again and then you can take a break."

Nii-san took the stick from my hand and dipped into a nearby bucket full of red paint. Without warning, he began molding his chakra in a way I've only seen the First and Second Hokage do that day inside the Uchiha shrine. The colour of his chakra was purple like Hashirama's, only slightly lighter in tone. I looked in awe as I clearly saw him pulling the natural energy surrounding us and blending it with his chakra.

"You can see it, right? The natural force of the world is something I can feel but your Third Eye allows you to see so much more." He said smirking at my probably dumbfounded expression.

 _Third Eye?_ I rubbed the centre of my forehead but there were only wrinkles because I was frowning.

Nii-san let out a loud laugh at my actions, the chakra dissolving into the air. Jiro-nii arched an eyebrow.

"I feel like I've gone back ten years and I'm telling you the Prophecy of the Great Lord Elder." He said between laughs.

"The Great Toad Sage?" I asked confused. I knew about the Children of the Prophecy, Naruto being one of them.

"Hmm, yeah? Apparently, the Child of the Prophecy would be a student of Jiraiya who was foretold to hold the fate of the world in his or her hands. ' _When the three powers become one again, the Third Eye will see all, conquer all'._ You were eight back then and Jiraiya had just taken you under his wing so you checked for the extra eye on your forehead. You wanted to be that child." He explained.

The first thing that popped into my mind when I heard Third Eye was Kaguya's Rinne Rinnegan. However, as far as I knew, Naruto hadn't grown a third eye.

' _When the power of three becomes one…'_ A flashback of the battle against Kaguya was clear in my mind: Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura in a triangle formation around Kaguya and delivering the final strike from three fronts. And still, no eye. What was my brother talking about? So, if I was now eighteen, did that mean that battle hadn't happened and nii-san wasn't aware of Kaguya's third eye?

"Of course it's not a real eye, that'd be ridiculous…" Nii-san stopped when I chuckled, eyeing me with worry as if I'd just gone mental.

"However, the three powers refers to the Mother of Chakra's power which was shared with her two sons. While she had the Byakugan and the Rinne Rinnegan, his younger son only inherited the Byakugan while the Sharingan and Rinnegan passed-down to the eldest. The Senju and Uchiha are his descendants." He explained, I knew all of this but in this _time_ how much was I supposed to know? I nodded at his explanation but kept quiet while nii-san gauge whether I remember all these facts.

"Now, _you_ ," He added, poking my forehead with his index finger, "are a descendant of Hamura, ancestor of the Hyūga and so the Byakugan's power run through your veins, also Tobirama Senju's granddaughter and, your blood fused with my little nephew's, Tetsu, before you gave birth to Itachi's son, an Uchiha.

So there you have it, Hyūga + Senju + Uchiha blood, the three powers of the Mother of Chakra that had once separated are now reunited within you."

My eyes widened. I was aware of all the facts he'd just listed but I never thought about them when put together like that. There had never been a case where an Uchiha and a Hyūga got together nor a Senju with a member of either clan. The truth was, these clans have always kept to themselves.

That was until my grandfather, a Senju, had a secret affair with a married woman that turned out to be a direct descendant of Hamura, though he wasn't aware of it. And then, I got together with with the person destined to be the leader of the Uchiha clan.

Flashbacks of 'false' memories of my life in this world played out in my mind: the conflict between the Uchiha and the village solved, the clan staying alive and Itachi remaining in the village. Itachi and I becoming lovers while still teenagers, the birth of our son while we were both sixteen and then Itachi deserting the village to join the Akatsuki and leaving us behind.

It seemed that whatever the world, even if it were in my dreams, Itachi and I weren't destined to be together and could only enjoy a short time of happiness.

"You have the _eye_ , the Third Eye, the most powerful dōjutsu ever known. It's not visible to the naked eye but you can _see_ with it, not the Byakugan or the Sharingan nor even the Rinnegan can compete with it." He added.

"I…" I didn't really know what to say. This was a dream after all. There was an enemy with power surpassing Kaguya's so it made sense to dream that I was in possession of a tool strong enough to fight it.

"Show me how to use it, how to control it." I asked my brother.

"This is what we're doing, sis. Try to keep up, we don't have much time." He said in a more serious tone, his body was facing the wooden dummies but at the same time, he was looking at me from the corner of his eye.

I straighten my posture. Whether this was a dream or not, I needed to absorb as much information as possible. Nii-san was the strongest shinobi at this moment, stronger than me, Kakashi and Sasuke combined. Even the smallest detail I could learn from him might help us in the future.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER B**

"Don't work on being your fastest because even when you are, you are not. Instead, work on slowing everything around you." Nii-san instructed.

As before, he began gathering the nature's chakra, slowly increasing its intensity. The power was almost tangible and then, something strange happened. My heart, which had been speeding up, suddenly started to slow down to the point that one of the beats was suspended in air. Strangely, I didn't feel out of breath or anything I should feel if my heart stopped. My mind was functioning as usual, and that allowed me to see what was going on.

Nii-san had just stopped time.

He turned his face towards me and smiled before he spoke again.

"The only person who can see this is you. Not the Uchiha's eyes nor the Hyuga's Byakugan can. In terms of speed alone, we all know Jiro surpassed me years ago, he really has grandpa's genes. And yet, he can't beat me at this game."

Using his already rapid speed, nii-san hit every single wooden dummy before returning to his original point. It took just under two seconds, that made it about ten milliseconds per dummy. He let go of the stick at the same time that he let the time run again.

The sound of the stick hitting the ground brought Jiri-nii's attention to it. He blinked twice before turning to inspecting the wooden dummies, now each of them with a red mark on them. His eyes widened and then slowly turn his head back to us.

"How long did I take, Misaki?" Nii-san asked me without looking at me.

"A bit less than two seconds." I answered. I noticed Jiro-nii bringing his eyebrows together, he didn't seem to agree with my answer.

"Jiro?" Nii-san asked in the same manner.

"I-I didn't see a _thing_. How did you do it this time?"

"Misaki, you saw me taking two seconds to complete the goal. However, what you saw happened in 0.000001 billionths of a second for Jiro." He answered.

I closed my eyes, the mental calculation seemed impossible. But it simply meant that nii-san had hit twenty wooden dummies without using any time whatsoever.

 _Time bending?_ Could I ever do something like that? Now I knew my son Tetsu not only had inherited the name from nii-san but also the skills to be able to stop time and even go back in time. It was proven when his future self came to our present to warn us of the dark path his younger brother would take.

If someone would've told me this was possible, I would not have believed it, but now, I could only understand it a little better.

"Until we meet again." Nii-san suddenly said. I then noticed someone was calling out to me, the muffled sound slowly began to be clear in my ears until I realised Kakashi was trying to wake me up.

* * *

 _Kakashi_

"Misaki, wake up. Misaki?" I called out to my wife, hoping that she would return to me. Her breathing was erratic, her face showing pain as it turned to the sides while her body bounced off the bed.

Another nightmare. Another internal fight.

Eiji run towards our room and peeked through the opened door.

"Okāsan…" He whispered with hope that his mother would come back.

The struggle stopped and Misaki opened her eyes as if she hadn't just have another vivid dream. Her eyes focused on me, they lacked the usual warmth I was used to. She then exhaled deeply.

"Did I wake you up?" She asked after noticing me leaning sideways on the bed, my hand still on her shoulder. She looked at Eiji by the door and his face lost his hope. I felt a pang in my heart watching our son missing his mother terribly.

"I have to return to the office anyway. You were having a nightmare, can you remember any of it?" I asked her.

"Another? I thought I was done having these. I'm sorry for making you worry. Do you want me to make you something to eat?" She asked as she sat up.

I ignored the longing in her face and quickly got ready while she watched every movement before leaving the house. Two of my ANBU were already waiting for me.

"Hokage-sama. Tetsuya-san has left the hospital and is currently with Sasuke." One of them informed me.

"Already? Why would the doctors gave their consent so soon?" I asked surprised.

"Well… he left the hospital against the doctor's orders." The ANBU answered a bit ashamed. I guessed he wasn't sure whether he was supposed to stop my adopted son but, knowing Tetsu, that would've required some force after losing an argument with him. Like his biological father, he had a sharp tongue.

"Take me to where he is." I ordered.

It didn't take long until we reached Sasuke and Tetsu's location. They were at their usual spot having tomato rice balls. Tetsu's initial surprised was quickly replaced after noticing my scorn.

"Otōsan." He greeted me before gulping.

I wanted to tell him off but at the same time I knew I couldn't treat him like a child even though he was only thirteen years old. Tetsu was already a full-fledged shinobi who already had the mindset of an adult. Still, I couldn't help but worry about him.

"How is your condition?" I asked instead of acting like an overprotective father.

"I need to rest and not force my eyesight. I just wanted to have something to eat before coming back home…" He said in a sad tone and I knew it was because Misaki hadn't visit him while he was hospitalised.

"I'm happy to hear that. Like with Sasuke, I'm sure everything will be back to normal soon. I need you two to do me a favour."

Both the Uchiha straightened their posture and fixed their eyes on me.

"I want you to keep an eye on Misaki." I stated and let my request sink in.

They both glanced at each other before looking back at me. A few seconds passed while they try to think the reasons behind my demand.

"What is it, Kakashi?" Sasuke finally asked.

"I… I might be seeing things and I need you to see it for yourselves if it turns out to be true. I rather not say the reason I'm requesting this in order to not put ideas that might cloud your judgment. Can you both do that for me?" I asked without answering the question.

Realisation was shown on Sasuke's face and I knew he must've noticed something already.

"Yes. When Misaki's not with Tetsu, I'll make sure I'll _watch_ over her." My former student answered.

Tetsu looked at his uncle and knew this was no ordinary request. I knew he wanted to ask questions but kept them to himself. Leaving the rice ball he was holding back onto the plate, he stood up and looked into my eyes. He was facing me as a shinobi of Konoha answering to the Hokage's request.

"Hai!" He finally agreed but his voice was laced with pain and concern. I watching him walk towards our home while Sasuke paid their bill before standing next to me.

"Stay alert." I warned him prior to making my way to my office.

* * *

 _Tetsu_

The walk back home was short. I was dreading facing mom because she would know straight away that something was up. She had the ability to read me like an open book. I was conflicted with following the Hokage's orders, her own husband and _my_ father, to collect and report information on her activities as if she was a criminal. Nonetheless, I also knew dad had a strong reason to ask that.

The shinobi rules we repeated as a mantra during our early years in the Academy played in my mind. It was the ninja code to kill one's emotions as they were considered unnecessary things.

 _"A shinobi must always put the mission first.  
A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings.  
A shinobi must follow their commander's instructions.  
A shinobi must prepare before it is too late to.  
A shinobi never shows his feelings no matter the circumstances. Feelings are weakness that cloud judgment and weaken the sense of duty."_

And yet, the Academy never prepared me to for this.

I stayed outside the door, my hand holding the knob while I tried to hold onto the feeling of disappointment I had until now because mom hadn't visited me in the hospital. When Sasuke-oji told me about their encounter with the enemy and that she had ended up in hospital, my first thought was regret for not having been there for her when she woke up from her coma. Then I waited and waited for her to come running after she heard that I had also been taken to the hospital. I concentrated on this anger as a futile attempt to give me a push before I opened the door to face her.

"Tadaima." I announced as I walked inside looking at the floor.

"Okaeri!" Mom answered straight away. I looked up to find her standing in front of the door waiting for me since she'd most definitely sensed me a while ago and known that I've been standing for a few minutes by the door.

Our eyes locked for a good ten seconds, neither of us saying a word. She had a smile on her face, a bowl of rice on her hands, she was wearing a simple dress instead of the usual shinobi gear and the house smelled of curry, both mine and Eiji's favourite meal.

And then it hit me. Like a tonne-boulder had been dropped onto my head, realisation dawned on me.

Everything was perfect and yet, so wrong. Because it was perfect.

On the sofa behind her, Eiji had turned around when he heard me walk in and in his eyes I saw the void he had also felt, followed by the feeling of delight after noticing that I, too, had felt it. My poor little brother had been probably conflicted all this time for what he had been feeling and the loyalty he knew he had to oblige to.

With the smile still fixed on her face, mom took the few steps that separated us and reached out to touch my face while holding the rice bowl in one hand. I leaned away from her touch before I thought of doing so then stopped myself and let her touch me. A shiver run down my spine as I felt something odd as a warning bell rang in my mind. I shook the feeling, literally, by shaking my head slightly and then it was gone.

Her smile was still in place but I noticed her annoyance in my core.

"I'm glad your safe and sound, Tetsu." She said in a too-sweet tone.

I force a smile before I swiftly step to the side and headed towards Eiji. He practically jumped into my open arms and held on to me as if his life depended on it.

"Don't you worry. I'll make sure okāsan is back… to normal." I whispered into his ear. I couldn't make sense of what was happening so it must've been even harder for my five-year-old bother to comprehend any of it.

I put him down, grabbed his hand and pulled him with me towards the door.

"Where are you two going? Dinner is ready."

"I just need a little walk, we'll be back in no time." I said looking at her over my shoulder.

She seemed to think it over after looking at the time but made no attempt to stop us.

As soon as we were out of the door, I teleported us to a nearby family house and quickly knocked on its door.

"Tetsuya? Eiji? What brings you at this hour?" A surprised Hinata asked with concern after opening the door. It was already dark outside and we've never visited without our mom.

"Hinata-san. Apologies for coming this late but I need you to do something for us."

Hinata stepped to the side to let us in.

"Is everything alright?" She said holding Eiji's shoulders to inspect him before doing the same to me. "Where is Misaki-sensei?"

"Could you please check okāsan's chakra? Both Sasuke-oji and my eyes have been compromised so we're unable to see whether she's under a genjutsu or anything that might tamper with her behaviour." I said going straight to the point.

"Oh." Hinata didn't seem to like the request, her hand automatically moving to press on her flat stomach. "I-I wish I could do that but my chakra is currently playing up since… since the baby seems to be keeping it all for himself." She finally answered.

"Oh?" It was my turn to be surprised. "I didn't know! Congratulations!"

"Thank you. It's a bit early to tell everyone but please don't think I don't want to help. As soon as Naruto comes back he can help you because he can sense chakra when he uses sage mode. He was supposed to come back a few days ago but I'm sure he'll be here in no time."

"A few days? What's holding him back?" I didn't like the sound of that. Not one little bit. How come everyone capable of checking chakra was either incapacitated or missing? Was it mere coincidence or a well thought-out plan?

"Kakashi-sensei send the messenger toad when Misaki-sensei and Sasuke were taken to hospital after their encounter with the enemy but he might've been caught up with his training in Mount Myōboku, you know how he is."

"Did the messenger toad came back to let you know he'd be delayed?"

"N-no but…" Hinata suddenly turned pale at the thought of something happening to her husband.

"I'm sure it's nothing! I'll ask otosan to summon the toad and remind him." I said quickly to stop Hinata for having any more dark thoughts. "Thank you anyway and sorry for bothering you at this time!"

"It's okay! Please let me know how everything goes?" She said trying to look through the door I was closing behind me. I didn't want her to worry, especially in her condition.

When the door was closed, I turn my face and walked forwards only to bump into mom. Not being able to sense chakra was really inconvenient. I wasn't used to surprises.

She had her arms crossed over her chest, her head slightly tilted as she looked from my face to the door behind me.

"Why are you visiting Hinata at this hour?" She queried.

"I…" Several excuses run on my mind but I knew there was no point in lying to her. She would know they were lies nonetheless.

"I can't have you two running around the village on your own. Now that I have you two back we need to stay together as a family, okay?" She said between clenched teeth.

 _Us three as a family? What about dad?_ I screamed in my mind.

"Like I said, you and Eiji need to stay by my side. Always."

"Side? What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"You don't need to know right now but when the time comes you'll know."

I couldn't help but frown as I took a step back, pulling Eiji behind me, my hand not letting go of his. I couldn't understand my body's reaction but it was acting on pure instinct.

The next thing I knew, mom was right next to us, her hands grasping our wrists and breaking our hold apart. I looked down at our linked arms but my vision started to blur, my body suddenly feeling weak and heavy. My eyes shot back to look at her when I realised that she was taking the chakra from us.

Mom would never do something like this, she never scolded or reprimanded us, never got frustrated if we made mistakes. We never disobeyed her so we never gave her a reason to be angry with us so why was acting like this? Forcing us to do something wasn't like her. If she could read minds then at least she would've had a reason because, from the moment I found her here, I wanted to run to dad's office and away from her. Had she read my intentions?

My eyes were to close when I heard the woosh of a kunai flying past my ear towards mom.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

 _Sasuke_

When Misaki went after her sons, I followed her in the shadows. They've gone to Naruto's home and met Hinata briefly. I'm not sure what they talked about when they were inside but Misaki waited patiently outside the door. So I was surprised to see her annoyed at the boys' behaviour when they came out. Even more so when she suddenly grabbed them both and began taking their chakra.

I couldn't believe it at first but once Eiji's knees have put out and Tetsu's eyes began to close, I realised what was happening. This is why Kakashi had asked us to watch her closely, he knew something like this would happen.

Without wasting any more time, I threw my kunai at her, knowing that she would deflect it. But to do so, she would need to let go of one of the boys.

She used the hand that was holding Tetsu, her right hand, and swiftly picked her own kunai to deflect mine. Tetsu fell back with the movement but I was there behind him before he touched the ground, holding him up.

My eyes were glued to her hand. Misaki was left handed like me. I knew she could use both with equal skill but Eiji was already out so it would've made more sense to use her left while he continued to take Tetsu's.

A reaction that left no time to think about the course of action was something that one could not control.

"Who are you?" I questioned. I knew something was wrong from the moment I opened my eyes in the hospital. Everything after that was a bit off, Misaki leaving the hospital without sparing even a glance back at me, not wanting to see me afterwards, the way she protected the enemy against Kakashi, albeit it was her brother but he was still the enemy, her not visiting Tetsu while he was hospitalised, Eiji's behaviour around her and now, forcing her two sons to obey her by taking their chakra from them.

It felt like a deja vu from when Kaguya tried to take mine and Naruto's chakra by force, the chakra of her sons that had been passed to us.

"I'm Misaki, who else. Sasuke, can't you _see_?" She answered in a chilling tone.

"No, I can't. My dōjutsu has been compromised and now I know it was to keep me blind from your true identity."

"Stop talking nonsense. I am _me_. The same woman that watched over you since you were born, the mother of your nephew, the one that loved your brother Itachi unconditionally as a teenager and the same one you walked the aisle to marry Kakashi." She complained.

"Those facts are no secrets to anyone that asks, that doesn't prove anything."

"When Orochimaru brought the Hokages back from the dead in the Uchiha's secret shrine, you tried using your Mangekyō on me but I dispelled it, having gone through worse genjutsu while training with Itachi and Shisui. I'm probably the only person able to do that.

Before Madara released the Tsukuyomi he stabbed you with a katana, I was there with Tobirama and no one else. He did the same with me and I ended up meeting in the afterlife the Sage of Six Paths who told me he had already met with you and Naruto. Is that also a publicly known fact?"

I couldn't deny that. Those were pieces of information that only Misaki could know. And that left few possibilities. Someone had access Misaki's memories and was impersonating her or that someone was controlling her actions and thoughts via some sort of jutsu.

"And still, you don't believe me." She added. "What are you going to do, Sasuke? You have no proof."

Before I could come up with an answer, Tetsuya, her older brother, materialised next to her. I tensed, knowing that I wouldn't like whatever that was about to happen.

"It's time." He said low and looking to the side at her.

With a flick of her hand, Eiji and Tetsu's bodies were taken from my side to hers. I noticed the shadow of something above me was creating and when I looked up, I saw the same person I've been chasing for years floating in the air. I've never seen him in my life but I knew instantly that he was a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan, the same clan of extraterrestrials that Kaguya belonged to. His pale complexion and Byakugan eyes were unique to them. He could easily pass as Kaguya's younger brother because of his appearance.

Like Kaguya in her time, he probably had come to harvest the god tree's fruit to use its chakra to gain power and prolong their lives with no care in the world to what that would mean to the human race: it's extinction.

"Where's the fox?" The alien man questioned. "I thought I made it clear you were to gather the fox and your blood relatives. Do you not wish to pledge your allegiance to us?"

"I do, and so does my sister. I will get you the fox like I promised, he's just temporarily in a different dimension but I will bring him to you."

Tetsuya then knelt before them and Misaki followed shortly after.

My eyes widened at the sight. She had chosen her side. Or someone was choosing for her.

However, the Ōtsutsuki member didn't look convinced because he began an attack against her without any warning. His katana was almost invisible as it flew side to side as if trying to cut her in half. Luckily, Misaki has been quick to react and evaded each of the swings of the sharp metal.

The last swing was a 180-degree one from the enemy's left side to the right, at the end of the strike his arm ended extended towards the back and away from where Misaki had just been standing. In the next instant, she materialised right on top of the katana as if she was floating over it before the kunai in her hand began descending over the enemy's head.

The strong opponent was somehow quicker and before the metal reached its target, Misaki's neck was grabbed by the enemy's hand, holding her up with her legs dangling in the air, his fingers tightening around Misaki's neck.

"Wait! That's my sister!" Tetsuya yelled looking between Ōtsutsuki and us. The man simply smirked.

"Is it now?" He asked while the colour of her face started to fade. His eyes narrowed slightly as he activated his Byakugan on her.

"You're partly right. I can see _her_ , and just like you, her body is one of us, her DNA is almost like ours and her powers have the potential to match us as well. But don't think you can fool us, we don't just want the shell, we need _her_ for it to work. You failed to get the fox and will have to pay for it.

I guess I'll just have to squeeze hard enough to…"

A yellow flash suddenly stroke the Ōtsutsuki's head from above, the impact causing Misaki's body to fly away from him but it was then caught by Kakashi who it seemed had just arrived at the scene. In his arms, Misaki coughed as the air began filling her lungs.

"Ka-Kakashi…" She called out in a hoarse voice, her hand reaching out to touch his face. He slightly leaned away from her touch as he focused on Naruto now fighting against the enemy and her hand dropped while her eyes filled with unshed tears. She turned her face towards the fight, her eyes narrowing angrily on Naruto, even though he had just saved her from choking to death.

Naruto was fighting in full Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and seemed to sense Misaki's eyes on him because he turned to look at her and also narrowed his eyes at her. He didn't like what he was _seeing_.

My heart skipped a beat because Naruto has just confirmed our fears. Since Tetsu's and my Sharingan has been compromised, we couldn't check Misaki's chakra. I know knew Tetsu had gone to Hinata for the same reason, to check Misaki's chakra with her Byakugan. The third possibility was Naruto on Nine-Tails Chakra mode in which he was able to sense negative emotions and chakra signatures. He had seen through her.

Alone, Naruto wasn't able to keep with the Ōtsutsuki. It was clear that he didn't have a chance to win.

Kakashi put Misaki on the ground and helped her stand up.

I made an attempt to take a step towards my friend but stopped when I felt Tetsu grabbing onto my shirt, his eyes begging me to stay and clearly also knowing that in my state, I didn't have a chance against the enemy. I knew what the result would be but I couldn't simply stay put and watch.

Kakashi seemed to have the same thoughts but no one stopped him and went head-on against the Ōtsutsuki that now had a hold on Naruto's wrists on one hand, the other was placed over his stomach and had begun taking the Nine-Tails' chakra from him.

Tetsuya decided to intervene as well and intercepted Kakashi's Purple Lighting with ease but that didn't stop Kakashi from trying. As he evaded the attacks, Kakashi kept a short distance with him as that was where the jutsu effectiveness was stronger. Having said that, his hand suddenly pierced something.

The first thing I registered was Kakashi's eyes widening in surprise since he had little hope of managing to cut the enemy's form and then, a look of panic as his eyes widened even further. My mind fought to acknowledge the reason behind it, my eyes struggling to not look at the face of the person that currently had Kakashi's hand embedded into her abdomen.

Misaki.

But somehow, she looked surprised as well. She coughed up blood and then looked down to see the hand covered in purple lightning inside her stomach, the blood staining her clothes from inside out. When she looked up, she looked completely dumbfounded as if she couldn't understand what had just happened.

I didn't understand it either.

With a last look of longing towards Kakashi, Misaki slowly lifted and joined her hands.

"Kai (Release)!" She said to everyone's surprise. At the same time, Kakashi deactivated his jutsu and slowly removed his hand from Misaki's abdomen, catching her body as it was falling onto the floor. He quickly lifted her shirt and applied pressure to the wound but the overflowing blood spilled from the sides. His anxiety was almost tangible.

"Kakashi…" She repeated but this time her tone was different. Kakashi's eyes quickly locked on hers, his fear now reaching extreme levels. The pressure from her hand intensified but the blood didn't stop from spilling.

"You're back." He said as he had registered something.

"You should know I would always come back to you, _no matter what_." Misaki said low, repeating the words Kakashi had said to her before we went on our mission to rescue Sakura.

I realised we finally had Misaki back but then...

My heart, alongside Kakashi seemed to drop on the floor, it was almost as if I could hear the organs splatter on the ground.

 _Tsk_. It was Misaki who had made the noise.

"What's with the long faces, boys?" She asked as if nothing had happened, looking from Kakashi to me and once again, Kakashi's face mirrored my look of astonishment.

She moved Kakashi's hand away and with her other hand activated a fire jutsu and pressed it onto the wound, sealing it to stop the bleeding. She acted as it was nothing but I noticed her stopping herself from rolling her eyes from the pain when her wound was being sealed. It only took a few seconds but I could only imagine how painful that was.

"It's a blend of my basic medical skills with my fire nature." She explained. "Are you really forgetting how many times I've been stabbed in the abdomen?" She asked Kakashi pointing at her stomach. "Once it was when I stood between you and the Anbu during Orochimaru's attack, another when I stood between Itachi and Tetsu.

After all these times, this area has lost most of its sensitivity, it doesn't even hurt that much. Sakura will be able to heal the internal bleeding without a problem. You two shouldn't look at me like I'm about to die, although it helped to fool that woman Funami. I knew she wouldn't be able to cope with it." Misaki explained.

"Funami? It was her all along?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, from our fight during the Sakura's rescue mission. From the moment my eyes zeroed in on nii-san, I knew it was over for me. He messed up my chakra and disabled my sensory skills leaving me defenseless against Funami.

After she beat me to a pulp, I couldn't stop her from invading my mind and taking over my body until that Ōtsutsuki almost choked her to death, it was only then when I realised I could win my body back. After that, she was too weak to fight me so I managed to move my body right in front of Kakashi's attack and as expected, she had to release the jutsu when she saw what Kakashi had done involuntarily. If I did while she was still taking over my body, her mind would've died along with me, her body following shortly after."

"Why did you do that, Misaki?!" Tetsuya, who had been hovering around her yelled.

"Why do you even care?" She retorted.

"Ah…" The Ōtsutsuki threw Naruto to the side as if he was a mere doll, his Nine-Tails chakra mode now completely depleted. In the next instant, he had grabbed Misaki's arm and pulled her away from Kakashi, her body colliding with his. "To think this stupid boy believed he could keep me away from you…" He seemed to see Misaki with new eyes.

The hand on her arm applied more pressure, causing Misaki to wince in pain first and then scream when a curse-like seal began to extend from under his hand, going up her arm and disappearing under her shirt. However, a part of it was visible under the collar of the shirt.

The marking was enormous and, unlike the curse mark Orochimaru gave me, its design was full of straight lines and sharp corners. And while the one I received could be fit inside a palm, it almost killed me during the process but gave me enough power to match Naruto's tailed form at the beginning.

I couldn't begin to imagine the pain this one could bring, and the power it could provide if Misaki survived.

Misaki's body was dropped on the floor, her form rigid as if she were being electrocuted while she bit back a scream that was clearly building up inside her. She seemed to like hiding her pain from us.

Kakashi moved to her side and touched her forehead. Misaki coiled like she had been burnt by his touch. She opened her eyes slightly and with her look, she begged Kakashi to not touch her. The pain must've been excruciating.

"What have you done!?" Tetsuya questioned while his eyes remained fixed on his sister.

The Ōtsutsuki started laughing in such a way that it brought a chill to my spine.

"Just getting some insurance." He answered.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _Misaki_

I felt as if my body was going to rip in half. The pain in every single cell of my body was so strong that everything else didn't seem to exist. There were no sounds around me, no air or ground under my body, just pain travelling through my veins and burning like pure acid.

I tried to fight it but after what seemed like forever, I felt myself slipping away, I couldn't keep up with reality. The temptation to let go was extremely hard to resist. The pain of living was unbearable and for a short second, I thought that death was an option. A second that reminded me what a weak human I was. But as the darkness tried to take over me, I remember I had to survive with the sound a familiar voice.

" _Welcome the pain."_

I knew there was no point in opening my eyes to see the source of that velvety voice because that voice didn't belong to the present, only the past. I didn't care if I was only remembering the past, that voice became my anchor.

" _I think you're going overboard, Itachi. Going solo on an ANBU mission is common." Shisui said as he tried to stand between Itachi and me. Itachi completely ignored me, his eyes fixed on me and ready to continue his relentless attack._

 _I'd just told them about the mission Sandaime had assigned to me. What Shisui just said was true, ANBU solo missions were the norm. However, I hadn't gone through the toughest of all shinobi training as every member of the ANBU had and for that, Itachi believed I wasn't ready because I only helped occasionally and remained a simple Chūnin of Konoha in the eyes of everyone._

 _Itachi's eyes shone brightly with his Sharingan. He meant business._

 _Shisui's shoulders dropped in resignation after seeing the determination in his friend's eyes. He took a step to the side and in the next moment, Itachi's short katana was cutting through the skin on my top left arm. I felt the sharp blade slicing my skin as if it was happening in slow motion, the pain travelling down my spine._

 _It was the first time Itachi had drawn blood during our 8 years of training together. Except for the usual burns that his fire jutsu caused, sore muscles and a fracture or two that I had caused myself while trying to evade attacks, he had not done this before._

 _I jump back and stopped the bleeding with my free hand. The cut was deep and the blood flowed freely down my arm._

" _Itachi…" Shisui complained as he looked at the drops of blood falling on the ground. But he knew his words would fall on deaf ears._

 _His next attack was just as quick, I wasn't even ready for it, the pain in my arm taking all my attention. Itachi's knee connected to the top of my stomach as he held onto my shoulders with both hands to bring my body down and increase the momentum. Bilis built up on my mouth and I had to fight the urge to throw up._

 _My body dropped on the ground and when I looked at Shisui, his jaw had dropped at the scene. I saw him take a step towards me._

" _Don't 'Itachi' me, Shisui. We're both at fault here. We've pampered Misaki during our training. Always treating as she was wrapped in cotton wool and only pushed her until it would become too much. We never passed that line. We've helped her develop her skills and no one could dispute these._

 _However, we have not prepared her for encountering a blood-thirsty enemy because we both thought she wouldn't be sent to such mission. But Hokage-sama has now realised the potential in Misaki's skills doesn't end with her speed and infiltration skills but turned a blind eye at the fact that she hasn't had the required training for this ANBU mission._

 _You're shocked at the fact that I've cut her arm, and so is she because neither of us had dared to do it until now. See the effect it has on her, she's completely forgotten that we are in a fight, a real enemy would've already finished her while she was fixated on her wounds."_

 _In addition to my physical wounds, Itachi's words seemed to sliced my heart and soul. He was completely right and because of that, those words had hurt my pride._

" _How long are you planning to lay down on the ground?" Itachi asked materialising next to me, his tall figure casting a shadow over me._

" _Just… give me a minute…" I begged with difficulty. There was no way I could fight like this._

 _The next thing I knew, I was up in the air, holding onto Itachi's hands around my neck._

" _A minute? In what world do you think the enemy would just stop to let you rest and recover?" Itachi said angrily. By the time I thought I was going to pass from the lack of oxygen, he threw me against the rocky floor, the sharp little stones scrapping most of the skin from my landing arm as the momentum made me drag against the floor._

" _Amaterasu!"*_

 _The word of a new jutsu caught me off guard, but I didn't have time to ponder as my body began to burn. Looking down I saw black flames all around me, embedding themselves into my skin. I began to roll around trying to put them off._

" _Itachi! Stop this NOW!" Shisui yelled before running to my side. He stripped off his shirt and began tapping it against the flames. That didn't work either._

" _It's no use. These flames won't be put off until they have burned their target. No jutsu can stop it, not even time. They can burn for seven days and seven nights if necessary even if I die. That's the beauty of the Amaterasu." Itachi explained calmly._

 _I didn't understand the logic. If they couldn't be put off then he was really trying to kill me. I didn't care anymore. They were the flames from hell, they burnt as hot as the sun itself. The pain was agonising and I was already welcoming death. I tried screaming at the top of my lungs but no sound came out from my lips._

 _Shisui charged at Itachi and grabbed the neck of his shirt. It was the first time I'd seen him angry, his usual composure completely gone._

" _What stupid game are you playing? Stop the flames now before it's too late. Itachi, you're inflicting permanent damage."_

" _It will be permanent all right if she doesn't do anything. Because she'll be dead."_

 _Hearing Itachi's words made me look at his face in question._

" _Misaki. Every jutsu has a weakness. You just need to keep looking and never throw the towel. Stop focusing on the pain. Welcome the pain. Take it all in and continue fighting. You can never give up, even if the solution is the most painful to you, there will always be one._

 _Welcome the pain."_

 _I was tempted to roll my eyes at Itachi's battle strategy, I could never be like him. Seeing all possibilities despite the excruciating pain. However, I didn't want to let him down by not even trying. So I took a deep breath and tried to analyse my options while trying to ignore it._

 _The first thing that popped into my mind was Jiraiya's fire sealing jutsu. He had used this against one of my fire jutsu but didn't bother teaching it to me because I was a strong fire user and didn't see the need for me to learn it. It was so frustrating, I wanted to scream to release my anger._

 _I couldn't remember the hand signs that Jiraiya weaved but the basis of that jutsu was to seal the fire in a container, the one he used was a scroll. I didn't have one, I had just myself. If I could contain it within me… I knew how to release my chakra so I had to try and absorb the chakra-enhanced flames by letting my body adjust to them so they wouldn't burn me in the process._

 _I closed my eyes to concentrate since Shisui was yelling at Itachi while trying desperately to stop the flames. I focused on the feel of the burning flames on my skin and worked on opening the chakra points on my body to let the flames in. As the first point let them in, I realised it didn't burn but instead, it gave me energy, something I didn't expect. My eyes opened in shock._

 _My body reacted faster than I could think of the next action, opening the rest of the chakra points to absorb the flames that kept on burning my clothes and skin. In about three seconds, the black flames had disappeared._

 _Shisui stopped moving next to me, he seemed as dumbfounded as I probably looked. Then quickly took his shirt and covered my figure with it as there were only scraps of burnt clothing left to cover me. I was too shocked to feel any embarrassment at that point._

 _The strength of the Amaterasu within me was immense, giving me the feeling of a heartburn on my chest. I couldn't contain them for too long, I had to let it out and did so by releasing it in the same way I would a fireball, only this time, the flames were black._

 _My body suddenly felt cold as it fought the burns on my skin. I started trembling before Shisui wrapped his arms around me. I looked to the side at him and was surprised to see the expression on his face. I looked at Itachi, it was the exact same. They were shocked, concerned and speechless at the same time._

" _You're full of surprises, Misa." Shisui said affectionately. He was the only one that called me simply Misa as Sasuke would sometimes use Misa-nee, always adding the honorific. It filled me with pride because it showed that in Shisui's eyes, I was his equal. It was his way of praising me._

" _I'll deal with you later, Itachi." He added without looking back at him before teleporting us to the hospital._

The pain that the Amaterasu caused me back then was like a paper cut compared to the pain this curse mark was giving me. I knew cursed marks were used to corrode minds or even take over someone's body but they also enhanced chakra levels and physical abilities. However, the process could also kill the receiver. The enemy could've easily killed me so I believed I had the ability to survive, otherwise, he wouldn't have given it to me in the first place. I only had to find the way to reduce the process time and tap into its power without letting it control me.

I stopped fighting the curse mark and welcomed the pain as Itachi had once said. I let it run through my veins burning in the process and didn't do anything when I felt it wrap around my heart, like thorns embedding into my organ and locking into place. All I wanted to do then was ripping my chest open and tear my heart away.

When the final cell had been consumed, I felt an immense power within me, I felt invincible. Strong enough to even had a tiny hope of being able to defeat the enemy as long as I could avoid him controlling me. But then, I also felt the connection to the Ōtsutsuki. Our fates had been linked.

"This curse mark will give this woman part of my power by connecting our bodies." He said with a smirk once I opened my eyes and stood up. The guys were speechless as they looked between the enemy and me. I don't think any of us could figure out what that meant.

"Just like this." The enemy added. He then held a kunai and with his other hand, grabbed the blade before pulling while his hand was still closed around it. A sudden pain shot up on my left hand, and after looking down at it, I saw blood flowing freely from my palm. When I looked back up at the man, his left hand was bleeding like mine. I did a double take, so did the others.

"Don't get your hopes up, young one." He continued, looking at me. "If you try to kill me, you'll just be committing suicide. And for the rest of you…" He had suddenly moved and grabbed Naruto by his neck. "... don't do anything stupid or you'll just be hurting your comrade."

"That's… playing dirty." Naruto managed to say around the chokehold he was being under.

"Why would someone as strong as you would do something like that?" Sasuke questioned.

"There's no question that I'm more powerful than any of you, definitely stronger than my younger sister, and yet, you humans somehow managed to defeat and seal her away." The enemy answered.

Everyone's eyes widened. I think the thought crossed all of our minds, after all, the resemblance to Kaguya was uncanny, but to have it spelt out to us was another story. This was Kaguya's older brother, a stronger and more terrifying version of the woman that almost wiped the entire human race.

The colour in Naruto's face started to fade, I knew he wasn't fighting because he didn't want to hurt me in the process. No one else tried to free him from the enemy's hold.

I moved towards him and punched the enemy in the face. He went flying sideways with the impact, Naruto flying in the opposite direction. I didn't mean to punch him that hard considering the distance I put between him and myself but this new power was bigger than I anticipated. Something I quickly learnt as the pain in my face registered, taking the air out of my lungs. Ouch.

"Why me?" I asked after putting my jaw back in place.

The Ōtsutsuki stood back up and spat blood onto the ground.

"Because you're the perfect vessel." He began and I knew I wouldn't like what would come next. "I can't free my sister from the Moon that has become her prison. However, I can restore her in you. Together we'll be able to accomplish the mission she was sent to do in the first place."

My heart skipped a beat. It had been hard enough to defeat Kaguya but to think that there would be two Ōtsutsuki… that was a fight that we couldn't win. I also knew that the strongest shinobi capable to fight them, Sasuke, Naruto and the Kages including Kakashi, would be at a disadvantage if I was Kaguya's vessel. They wouldn't be able to give them all if I was taken over by her even if my real self would be completely gone.

"I.. I won't let you do that!" I screamed before I materialised in front of him. The bastard smirked.

"Great, thank you for saving me the trouble of coming to me. Now, I will erase everyone that gives you this courage to fight for."

The pressure around us suddenly become heavy and I realise he was summoning another dimension. The temperature became many degrees higher before I started free falling towards the river of lava below us. I managed to hold onto his ankle as he was levitating and looked at Naruto in Six Paths Sage Mode grabbing Kakashi and Sasuke who were the closest to him, then reaching out to Tetsu and Eiji. The distance was too great and I knew he wouldn't make it. I summoned my eagle who made it just in time to place himself below the falling bodies of my sons before flying up away from the intense heat and Naruto took them. On the opposite side, Tetsuya was hanging onto the rock with only a kunai as an anchor. It seemed that the Ōtsutsuki wasn't planning on keeping him for his goal.

"This is the same dimension Kaguya summoned in her time," Sasuke complained.

"Yeah, but back then we had the sealing jutsu the old man gave us to seal Kaguya. How are we going to do that now? What would happen to Misaki-sensei if we even find a way to do so?" Naruto asked.

I knew there was only one option.

I'm sure it was as clear in everyone's mind as it was in mine but I knew none of the guys would do anything about it. They probably had already taken that option and locked it in a corner of their mind. The enemy had made me his life insurance but he also gave the way to erase him.

If I died then so would he. The Ōtsutsuki had probably believed that I would selfishly put my life above the life of the entire human race. He didn't know that I wouldn't do such thing.

I let go of his ankle and let myself fall.

My contracted animal, my faithful eagle, instinctively flew towards me to save me from burning alive in the hot lava. My body landed on his soft feathery back but with a burst of chakra I pushed down to meet my death. I had been told that at some point in my life I would have the key to save the world. Well, this was it. I was finally able to fulfil my destiny. I just hoped that my family and friends would forgive me for causing them more pain but as long as they'd be able to continue on living, it made it all worth it.

The shocked expressions on their faces along with the enemy, let me know that they had lost that precious second they had to stop me from my actions.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

Everyone had witnessed Misaki's quick movements that pushed her into the bubbling lava below them but everyone refused to believe what they've just witnessed. The only one that had reacted was her contracted eagle who had desperately tried to save his master by catching her mid-fall.

Her next movement had pushed them into the lava. The eagle refused to return to his dimension as the semifluid rocks began to burn his feathers. He turned, keeping Misaki on top of his belly while wrapping his wings around her, delaying by a mere second Misaki's impending submersion. Before anyone could blink, the bed of molten rock engulfed both the eagle and Misaki under his feathers. And just like that, they disappeared from everyone's vision.

Time seemed to be suspended as everyone held their breaths, eyes wide while refusing to blink. As if by holding on to that, they could stop time and not let the reality sink in.

 _It can't be._

 _This is not happening, it's impossible._

 _This is a genjutsu._

 _She's going to come out as if nothing's happened._

 _She's fine, she's fine. She always is._

Those were the thoughts that they screamed in their minds.

"Argggghh!" The piercing scream that the Ōtsutuki let out made them all suck in some air and turned to look at him.

His skin was already completely burnt, some of the parts already turning to ashes and large blisters had formed all over his body. They seemed just about to burst when he made a tiger hand-sign and the blisters stopped from growing any larger. It looked like he had released the connection he had with Misaki but his body stayed with the severe burns.

All eyes turned to the spot Misaki had just disappeared, hoping that she would come back out unhurt. However, their hopes were squashed as a violent outburst of lava came out of that same spot as the bodies were consumed and burned. Each outburst causing a dent in everyone's hearts.

Not a second later, they were back on their original spot in Konoha. The only one missing was the enemy, who probably had stayed in the safety of his dimension or hidden somewhere far from them. It was a good choice, considering what they Konoha shinobi could kill him easily in his weakened state.

Kakashi took a few steps to stand on the spot that would have been directly above the place Misaki had sunk. He dropped on his knees, his hands patting on the ground, his eyes still seeing the lava. Naruto and Sasuke still hadn't blinked, their mouths slightly open and also looking at the same spot. But when Eiji's soft and confused voice called out to his mother, they moved to wrap their arms around Eiji and Tetsu respectively. When they felt their shaking bodies, their arms held on tight.

The sound of a metal dropping on the floor made everyone alert and look at the place the sound originated. Tetsuya had dropped his kunai and was now pressing the palms of his hands against his temple. His eyes were moving frantically as he seemed to either think something over or trying to locate his sister.

Kakashi didn't waste a moment to grab his neck and press down hard, forcing Tetsuya to drop on his knees without resistance.

"Misaki." Tetsuya whispered, his voice laced with pain.

"Don't you dare say her name!" Kakashi yelled at him, his grip tightening around his neck. "It's your fault Misaki… Misaki…" He began but couldn't finish his sentence. "You got Funami to take over her body, you tampered with both Sasuke and Tetsu's Sharingan stealing some of our chance to fight the enemy. You bastard!"

"This wasn't supposed to end like this. I was protecting her." He answered.

"Protecting her? In what world you would think that'd protect her?"

Realising he'd said too much, Tetsuya got out of Kakashi's hold. When he tried to grab him again, he ended grasping air in the spot that Tetsuya had just escaped to another dimension. His time-space jutsu was very similar to Sasuke's.

With no one to direct his anger, Kakashi dropped to his knees. He wanted to curl into a ball and cry but just as he was about to do so, the quiet sobs of his son Eiji reminded him why he needed to be strong. Standing on his feet again, he walked slowly towards his sons who met him half-way through. When Eiji latched onto his leg and Tetsu held onto his arm, his resolve had returned. However, at the same time, Naruto's and Sasuke's crumbled. They'd been trying to stay strong for the boys but as they left their side it had become more difficult.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered as he placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. Sasuke's body trembled slightly under his touch. "I know you loved Misaki sensei as a sister. I'm s-"

"So did you." Sasuke interrupted. "This is not the time to mourn. We don't know for sure if Misa-nee… if she's really-" His voice broke while he tried to hold his composure. "We need to find and destroy the enemy now that he's at his weakest. Kakashi?"

Kakashi's eyes came back alive, only by a bit. His role as the Hokage kicking in. He had to protect the village and everyone in it, including his sons that were holding on to him.

"Tetsu, take your brother to Kurenai's and stay with him until call you. Naruto, Sasuke, meet me at the ANBU's headquarters. I need to go to my office first and then I'll meet you there." Kakashi ordered.

"Hai!" They all answered in unison.

"My, my, my. What the hell happened on Earth?" Urashiki Ōtsutsuki asked his younger brother without showing any pity at the burns on his skin. He simply crouched down next to him.

"Anija, give me one of your pills. I don't have any left."

"You're lucky I have two left from the batch I stole from Momoshiki." He said as he handled the pills to him.

As soon as he swallowed them, the burns began to fade, leaving a slightly red tone on the renewed skin.

"Is that it? Two pills won't heal my body completely, the burns run too deep. I need to recover fully to take those weaklings."

"That's all I had left so you'll have to make-do. This is the reason we're here, remember? We need to gather enough chakra to produce more chakra pills and we also need our little sister back before Momoshiki and Kinshiki arrive.… which brings up the question: where is the girl? You were supposed to bring her with you. Otherwise, they will take all the chakra on Earth from themselves." Urashiki said.

"She's the reason I almost died. I liked our chakras as a way to defeat our opponents, only she used that to defeat me instead. By jumping on a pool of lava…" He almost whispered the last sentence.

"She did WHAT?! She's dead?"

"I don't know. I unlink myself from her before I died but she was already buried deep into the lava. There's no way she would come back alive from there. Although these humans are full of surprises."

"I can't believe this!" Urashuki yelled in frustration, his hands massaging his temples. "What the hell are we going to do now? We need to bring Kaguya back and she was the perfect vessel!"

"I'm sorry, anija. I didn't expect her to be selfless enough to give up her life to save the others. I'll… I'll find another girl, one of the female Hyuga as we initially planned."

"She won't be able to achieve full power but it'll be better than nothing. Don't disappoint me again, _brother_." Urashuki said before his figure fade into nothing. A chill run through the Otsutsuki's body because he knew that if he failed, it would be the end of him.

—

"You don't have to follow me, you know, Sasuke?" Naruto complained outside his home, his hand around the handle."

"I know, but we can't never be too careful. The Otsutsuki are after you and we both know you're not the most alert person…" Sasuke replied but stayed by the fence.

"I'm more alert these days. Don't worry, I just want to check on Hinata quickly and then we can go to the ANBU's headquarters."

Sasuke remained silent and Naruto took that as an agreement.

As soon as Naruto opened the door and announced his arrival, Hinata appeared from their living room door.

"Okaeri." She welcomed her childhood's first love and now husband.

Naruto was half way through his first step towards her when a presence to his right chilled him to the bone. This presence was too strong and, worst of all, very familiar. His head refused to turn on command but, slowly, it began to turn.

As expected, the Otsutsuki that should be almost burnt to death was standing next to him as if the last events hadn't occurred. His body and clothing as new.

"What are the chances? I come to get the Byakugan princess and the fox is handed to my on a silver plate…"

Without thinking, Naruto's fist moved forwards to connect with his face. However, the alien man smirked, and in the next instant, he was behind Hinata, his hand wrapped around her neck by the time his first connected to the wall, almost destroying it completely.

Naruto hadn't been able to follow the quick movement but his teeth grinded when he took in the scene. Sasuke was already by his side, having heard the commotion a second ago.

"I guess the fox will have to wait for now. Don't go too far…" The enemy threatened before he vanished.

"Hinata!" Naruto screamed, his hand reaching out to where his wife, the one carrying their unborn baby had stood a second ago.

"That bastard! First, he kills Misa-sensei and now he takes Hinata? What the hell? What does he wants with Hinata? He must've gone to one of his dimensions, we need to go and search for her straight away." He continued ranting to his face, his hands grabbing the sleeves of his shirt.

"Calm down, Naruto. We need to tell Kakashi straight away and make a plan. We can't just go jumping from one dimension to another looking for her. Reaching those dimensions take most of my chakra so we will need back up.

"He took Hinata?" Kakashi asked in the ANBU headquarters main office.

"Yes, and he referred to her as the 'Byakugan princess'." Sasuke answered.

"This is not happening again!" Naruto said between clenched teeth as he paced around the room. "They better not try any of those sick things they did last time. If they touch a single of my wife's hair…"

"Naruto! Calm down!" Kakashi ordered. "We need to analyze the situation with a cool head. If you can help us do that, go out and take a walk, and don't come back until you can act like a shinobi and not a stressed husband. Otherwise, I will not include you in the mission to rescue Hinata."

At the last words, Naruto's face paled. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then released it slowly. When he open them back again, his resolve had returned.

"Kakashi sensei, I will go in search for Hinata no matter what."

Kakashi looked at Naruto for a few seconds before making sure that Naruto would behave.

"The Otsutsuki might be after Hinata's byakugan, just like Toneri when he abducted Hanabi." He began.

"But they wanted Misaki to be the vessel for Kaguya's resurrection. With Misa-nee gone… I'm afraid they might want Hinata to take her place." Sasuke added.

"But why Hinata? Of all the people in this village, why does it have to be her?" Naruto questioned.

"They said Misaki was the perfect vessel because she probably shares a DNA similar to Kaguya, being a direct descendant of Hamura Ōtsutsuki and indirectly from his brother Hagomoro. That plus the addition of the Uchiha cells, made her the perfect candidate for the Ōtsutsuki's plan.

Hinata is the heiress of the Hyūga clan. The Hyūga clan are descendants from the Hamura Ōtsutsuki's lineage. I'm guessing they took Hinata since there are no living shinobi with visual prowess other than the Hyūga so it would make sense to take her from any other of the females in the clan." Kakashi guessed.

"We can't let them resurrect Kaguya. And definitely not by taking over Hinata's body."

"We won't Naruto."

"So what's the plan, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.

"We need to get the best sensory shinobi for this mission and then we go in search for her."


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

"You'll need me for that." A male voice announced.

Quickly recognising the voice, three pairs of eyes zeroed in with menace on the source of that voice. The ANBU in the room looked surprised at the unannounced visit.

The voice belonged to Misaki's older brother, Tetsuya.

"You have some nerve!" Naruto exclaimed before taking a step towards him. Sasuke placed his hand on his shoulder and pressed down hard to keep him in place. Possibly, also to stop himself from lurching at Tetsuya to avenge Misaki. Revenge was something Misaki never approved.

"I understand your reluctance to work with me but we have a common goal and your best sensory shinobi _was_ Misaki. My skills are on par or even better than hers." Tetsuya said.

"A common goal? Not an hour ago you were side by the Otsutsuki! Because of you, Misaki is buried under a sea of lava…" Kakashi said calmly but his frame was shaking with rage.

"I was keeping her away from Urashiki Ōtsutsuki, Kaguya's eldest brother. I knew he was searching for Misaki to become Kaguya's vessel. That was because for a millennium after she was sealed in the moon, her chakra and will were finally able to be reincarnated into one of her descendants: Misaki. While the sons of the Sage of the Six Paths, Indra and Asura, were able to be reincarnated many times since their deaths, Kaguya's wasn't able to do so as, up until recently, there wasn't a single person sharing the DNA of both the Sage and his brother, Hamura.

Black Zetsu believed this person would never be born and thus, manipulated Madara into becoming the first reincarnation to successfully merge Indra's and Asura's chakras. This made him a viable vessel to complete Kaguya's revival, even without Hamura's lineage or his Byakugan.

Naruto, your unborn son shares Hamura's blood thanks to your Hyūga's wife and along with your blood, which is partly Hagoromo's, will make him quite powerful. However, he won't have the missing piece, the Uchiha trait. That's something Itachi Uchiha gave my sister and consequently, her sons.

I didn't want Urashiki to get to Misaki but I knew that as soon as he'd made an appearance, there was no way to stop her from going to the front lines. I made him think that I would join forces with her since she was my sister and that I would bring her to him. But at the same time, I kept the 'real' her confided in Funami's body where he wouldn't be able to find her."

By this time, Kakashi's figure had loosened up. His brow was furrowed as he tried to take in all the information.

"So you took out the dōjutsu from Sasuke and Tetsu so they wouldn't find out. Kept Naruto in Mount Myōboku so he wouldn't sense the impostor." Kakashi guessed.

"I didn't want any of you searching for Misaki. I didn't want you to bring her to Urashiki. I didn't want her to become Kaguya's vessel and be lost forever. Without her, he couldn't complete his goal, couldn't take over the world."

"So what? Were you going to just watch him kill anyone in his path while you and your fake sister stood by his side? How can you call yourself a shinobi of the Leaf?" Kakashi questioned.

"I didn't care, as long as she was safe. She's my family. Only her life matters."

" _Was_." Naruto corrected.

"She's not dead. My goal is still to protect her."

" _What_?" They all asked with wide eyes.

"She _has_ to be alive… All I've done up to this point was to protect her…" He added with less conviction.

"As much as I'd like to share your optimism, we all saw her engulfed in the molten lava. There's no way she could've gotten alive from that, we won't even be able to recover her body as it's probably turned to ashes." Kakashi said before gulping.

"Is it? Come on, all you three shouldn't say that something is impossible! You, Kakashi," he said pointing at the white-haired Hokage, "died once at the hands of Pain, and so did Misaki. And you two," he motioned to both Sasuke and Naruto, "have been on the verge of death quite a few times, only to be brought back.

 _I_ have died in the past and yet, here we all are. How can you say for sure she isn't alive? Have any of you felt that piece of your heart saved for my sister break?

We all have lost a loved one before so we know what it feels like, even when the death happens away from our eyes, we _know_." Tetsuya let that thought sink in.

They all seemed to dig deep into their heart, trying to separate what their eyes have seen and what they heart felt.

Naruto's eyes filled with new shine while Kakashi and Sasuke were a bit more careful in letting themselves believe it.

"We just need to find her. Whatever her state, dead or alive, I will bring her back, I'd do anything for her, even give my life for hers." Tetsuya added.

In Naruto's mind, a flashback of Lady Chio saving Gaara popped up. Even though Gaara had been long dead, she had brought him back to life by transferring her own chakra into his body.

However, Gaara's body had been intact. Could they find Misaki's body?

"We need to find Hinata first." Naruto stated.

"I know, and we will. If the Otsutsuki brings Kaguya back, it will be all over for us. We'll find the Hyuga and then bring Misaki back."

"What about the enemy? How are we supposed to defeat them?"

"We will have to do what I was trying to avoid. A full-scale battle against the Otsutsuki. Even with Sasuke recuperated, Naruto, Kakashi, Misaki and myself working together, our chances are very slim. However, it's the only way we can proceed. They will destroy the planet and everyone in it if they can't get what they came for." He explained.

"Do we really have a chance against them? Last time we fought Kaguya, it took all five countries to unite against her, and we only managed to seal her thanks to the Sage of Six Path's sealing jutsu that he shared with Naruto and Sasuke. This time, we won't have such benefit and Kaguya's brother is definitely stronger than her." Kakashi asked Tetsuya.

"Yes, we do have a chance. The reason why Kintaro linked himself with Misaki-"

"Wait-" Kakashi interrupted, "you mentioned the Otsutsuki's name earlier, it was Urashiki."

"Ah, Kintaro and Urashiki are Kaguya's older brothers, Urashiji being the eldest and, quite frankly, the strongest of the siblings." Tetsuya explained.

"So there's another Otsutsuki and even stronger?" Naruto complained.

"Like I was trying to explain," Tetsuya continued, "the reason Kintaro linked himself with Misaki was a sign that Misaki was a danger to them. It was his way to protect himself from battling her because she could probably defeat at least one Otsutsuki with our back up. They also had me on their side but if my sister and I join forces, then there's a possibility of taking one of them down.

They're used to take special pills that help them recover from injuries so they're not used to having to heal naturally. Since they are running low on pills, I'm guessing they want to avoid any kind of battle because even if they have the upper hand, there would be some sort of damage."

In the end, the Konoha shinobi resigned themselves and accepted Tetsuya's offering to help. None of them were happy about it but they knew they could use all the help possible.

Tetsuya located the Otsutsuki's location which was on the same dimension where they'd lost Misaki under the lava. At least, their hideout was away from the hot lava, just in the middle of a dry opening with only sand and rocky walls.

One of the walls led to a cave.

After infiltrating the Otsutsuki's lair undetected, they hid behind some far away pillars while observing the enemy before formulating a plan of attack.

In the centre of the cave, Hinata was bound to a metal pole. The enemy brothers were standing close to her while inputting some data into their alien computers.

"Is that all?" The man named Urashiki questioned while pointing at a pile of ashes on the floor right in front of Hinata.

"Yes, anija. That's all there was, I've checked with my Byakugan." Kintaro responded.

"It looks awfully small to be the remains of a grown-up female…" He said while frowning at the pile.

The hearts of the Konoha shinobi spying into their conversation skipped a beat. _Grown-up female_ they've said, were they referring to the pile of ashes as Misaki's remains?

Hinata was the first to react. She sucked in a breath while looking in terror at the ashes in front of her.

"Wh-who was it?" She couldn't help but wonder.

"The one that should've been tied up to that pole instead of you. The one with a very powerful dōjutsu but without showing their physical eye attributes."

"You mean… M-Misaki sensei? That's not- that can't be true." Hinata managed to say with difficulty.

"Just use your _eyes_ and you'll see." Urashiki said with indifference.

Meanwhile, in their hideout, the four shinobi, whose lives were entangled with Misaki in one way or another, tried to regain their composure. Neither of them wanted to believe that the pile of ashes _was_ Misaki.

It was easier to hold onto the tiny line of hope that to succumb to despair.

Hinata seemed to refuse to verify what the Otsutsuki had just claimed but they simply ignore it, not realising that the Hyuga couldn't infuse her chakra to activate her byakugan due to the unborn baby growing inside of her womb.

Tetsuya began giving silent instructions by signalling the points of attack to each of the Konoha shinobi. With his right hand first, he pointed to Sasuke and Naruto then to the corner closest to Hinata's location. After that he pointed to Kakashi and then to himself, letting him know that they would pair up in their attack from the opposite direction from which the younger shinobi would.

They looked at each other and then seemed to start a silent countdown before activating their powers since doing so in advance would reveal their presences. When everyone was ready, they all did at once, Sasuke activating his sharingan, Naruto his Tailed Beast mode, Kakashi his purple lighting and Tetsuya built up his chakra to the point that it was visible.

In an instant, they were above the two Otsutsuki who didn't look that they've sensed their presence. However, when their combined attacks reached their targets, they seemed to go right through the enemy's bodies like they were made of air.

They were simple clones that had no mass, just chakra.

The four shinobi ended up back to back in the centre of the cave, looking in all directions to locate the enemy.

"You must be very desperate to come to this place," Urashiki said from above. He and his brother were floating about 20 metres up in the air. "You really thought you had a chance to just barged into our dimension, rescue the Hyuga and return to your world?"

"Yes, that's exactly what we're going to do!" Naruto answered.

"Is it?" Urashiki asked, his brow arching.

At that moment, Naruto felt someone from behind locking his arms so he couldn't move but when he was about to turn and look, he felt something piercing his chest. When he looked down, he saw a rod surrounded by red chakra inside of his chest.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata yelled.

Urashiki pulled the fishing rod before anyone could react and the Nine-Tails chakra was stolen in a blink of an eye and put away inside the enemy's gourd.

Naruto dropped to his knees, his hand on his chest and completely out of breath. He then turned his face and looked over his left shoulder at the culprit.

His eyes widened when he spotted Tetsuya looking at him with a blank face. Naruto's lips were beginning to move when Tetsuya disappeared from his spot, and then a scream erupted in the cave. Naruto followed the noise with his eyes and they widened even further when he saw Sasuke on his knees with the palm of his hands pressing on his bloody eyes.

Kakashi was just finishing turning his head and had the same reaction. The movement had been too fast, faster than they've ever seen any shinobi move before. Kakashi moved towards Tetsuya but before he reached him, Tetsuya threw the stolen Sharingan up in the air and Urashiki took them.

Kakashi seemed lost for words. He looked from Tetsuya to the enemy, then from Naruto to Sasuke. Every single one of them was stronger, faster and more skilful than him. What could he do at this point? The gap in power was so great that the enemy hadn't even bothered to attack him, unlike his former students.

"Tetsuya, why?" Naruto questioned, still pressing his hand against his chest, his body folded over his knees. "Why!?" He screamed this time, his free hand pounding on the floor.

The noise seemed to wake Kakashi from a trance-like state he had been. He jumped towards Tetsuya with his purple lighting already activated on his right hand. However, Tetsuya was two steps ahead and had him on an arm lock in no time.

"Why, Tetsuya?" Kakashi repeated Naruto's earlier question. "Not long ago, your goal was to save Misaki. I didn't think you would lie to our faces like that."

"I did say I wanted to save my sister. I also said I'd do anything for her…"

Kakashi's eyes widened at the realisation of Tetsuya's silent admission.

… _even side with the enemy that would destroy everything and everyone in this world._

"Y-You would sacrifice the life millions of people for one life?"

"You wouldn't?" Tetsuya left the question in the air and watch Kakashi struggle to answer.

"I'm the Hokage. The life of everyone in the village is in my hands and I vowed to protect them. It's my job to make difficult decisions."

"Then say it. Say you would let Misaki die to save the village, the world. Say it, out loud." Tetsuya pressed. When Kakashi didn't respond, he continued.

"Like you, I have lost friends and family during the war and missions. When my little brother died, the world turned pitch black, I couldn't understand this world, how quickly a life could be lost, how meaningless. However, Misaki kept me sane. If I'd start turning into despair, she'd know and appear by my side when I most needed it. She would smile and the need to keep on living would come back to me. Even at four years old, she was my light and warmth. She's always been special and everyone that gets to know Misaki feels that from the moment they meet her.

It was the warmth that the memory of her smile that kept me from giving up on living while I was stuck in Orochimaru's lab as a guinea pig. I saw you when you were spying on him many years ago. Back then, I saw clearly in your face how empty your heart felt.

Tetsuya was referring to the time when Kakashi, still an ANBU, had found Orochimaru's lair with Funami's help.

You've lost people close to you. I know you've succumbed to very dark thoughts and fall to the pit of despair, tried to cut your bonds with everyone around you. Maybe in time, some bonds were formed but tell me Misaki didn't become your anchor. Tell me that without her in this world, you won't feel like drowning again, passing the time in the living world without really living.

Say it!"

Silence.

"Like I thought. Your face is like an open book right now. You're trying very hard to convince yourself that you wouldn't do the same thing I'm doing."

* * *

 **Note:**

Hey guys!

Some of you might think: "Here we go again with a flashback from the past..." Well, sorry! :D If you've been reading my other stories then you've realised that I _love_ using flashbacks. Some of my favourite episodes from Naruto _are_ the flashbacks or the Shinden novels with all the back stories. Anyway, you'll see why I've mentioned again two of my most loved characters.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and, surprise! I've uploaded two chapters in one go, so please read Chapter 15 :)


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

 _One night during the Third Shinobi World War_

 _Tetsuya at thirteen years old is now the only shinobi under the age of sixteen in the battlefield since his younger brother died a few weeks earlier. His movements are skilful and effective but the light in his eyes has long gone. His body remembers how to fight but his mind has shut down._

 _A trace of pain seems to bring his eyes alive for a second after starting one of their usual combo that Jiro should've finished. When the strike that would finish his enemy doesn't come, Tetsuya remembers that he is alone, that his younger brother and best friend has died in this same battlefield._

 _Reacting quickly, he delivers the final blow by striking the unknown shinobi with his katana. When the enemy's body drops on the floor, he notices a small figure on top of the cliff._

 _A boy no older than his little sister is in the middle of the battlefield watching the countless dead bodies of the shinobi that Tetsuya has just killed, not with terror but with analytical eyes._

 _He sees a dark shadow suddenly appear from behind the little kid and he quickly makes the sign that will activate his teleportation jutsu. When he appears in front of the boy, he finds that his hand had already sliced the shinobi's abdomen with his kunai before he has realised that he was doing so._

 _He knows the boy well, Itachi Uchiha, the talented son of the head of the Uchiha clan._

" _Tetsuya-san," Itachi says respectfully, "why did this shinobi try to kill me? I didn't do anything to him."_

" _Because we're at war, Itachi-kun. Strangers kill each other meaninglessly. They don't care who they kill, even if it's children. You shouldn't be here."_

" _Even if you're a Jonin, you're not an adult either. All the other shinobi of your age have been ordered by the Hokage to stay back. How come you're fighting?"_

" _Because me and my younger brother together could fight better than most Jonin and the Hokage made an exception. If he didn't…"_

" _But your brother is no longer fighting by your side. Why do you keep fighting then?" Itachi asks after quickly picking up on what had happened._

" _Even by myself, I'm still strong enough to take many of the enemies down." Tetsuya answers while indicating with his hand at the bodies under them. "Father doesn't approve as he believes it's suicide. But being one of the main captains, he doesn't have the time to keep me holed up at home."_

" _I don't have any siblings but it seems to me that you're trying to follow your younger brother."_

 _Tetsuya gasps then look into Itachi's eyes. The boy is something else._

" _Well… since he was born we've always been together. It's difficult to explain but if you ever have a sibling, you'll understand what is to have a bond strong enough to discard everything else. I promised that I would protect him but I couldn't keep my promise. I don't deserve to-"_

" _What about your little sister? You want to inflict the same pain by cutting your bond to her?"_

 _Tetsuya recoils from Itachi by taking half a step back. He now realises why he's so comfortable talking with the Uchiha, it's because he reminds him of Misaki in the way they both have a perception of things that most children don't. His words have felt like a slap in the face. While he's been selfishly thinking of only himself and because Misaki isn't involved in the war, he's forgotten for a moment that he still has a sibling to protect._

" _No, Itachi-kun. I don't want to do that to her so thank you for reminding me why I'm still fighting. It's my job to protect her so I can't let the enemy shinobi take over this land and get into the village. The duty of the older brother is always to protect his siblings at all costs._

 _Remember that if you ever have a little brother or sister."_

 _Itachi nods before Tetsuya returns to the battlefield._

 _Nonetheless, the young Uchiha watches how Tetsuya ends up surrounded by about twenty enemy shinobi and, not long after that, defeated, which means that the promise he just made has already been broken._

 _Or so he thinks._

 _Itachi couldn't stop thinking about Tetsuya's little sister. He knows the girl would be devastated after losing both her older brothers and wants to check up on her. Every time he walks around the village, he always looks around hoping to catch a glimpse of her but it never happens._

 _Months later, when he's due to begin the Academy, he hopes to see her in class so the first time he walks into his classroom, he scans the whole room to no avail. Students are still coming in so he sits close to the door and keeps an eye out for her._

 _And yet, she never turns up._

 _Itachi is confused because he knows the girl is the same age as him and it's customary to start the Academy at the age of five._

 _Day after day, he goes to class with hope and leaves the Academy feeling down when she never appears. He goes on expeditions outside the village to study the story of shinobi, always finding new clues._

 _Other times, he trains with his best friend, Shisui. And on one of those days when he goes in search to find him, he hears him giving instructions on how to do the fireball jutsu to someone. As he gets closer, he notices the figure of the person he's been looking for: Misaki._

" _... fireball jutsu!" She announces before a large fireball shoots forward to his and Shisui's surprise. She's just been shown how to do it._

" _Wh-" Shisui starts laughing, making Misaki frown, not understanding that her talent has caught her teacher by surprise._

" _That was really good." Itachi compliments her. He had also been surprised since the size of the fireball was about the same size of his first attempt, however, she didn't have the Uchiha blood, the clan know to be strongest at the fire jutsu. Having briefly met her talented older brother, he understands her potential._

 _Misaki turns to face him and her cheeks turn slightly pink when she sees him. He smiles at her because he had finally found her. Itachi had been so worried about her because of the loss of her two brothers, wanting to meet her since that day at the battlefield but, watching her overcome the darkness that comes with death and shine like the sun, puts his heart at ease._

 _And then, he realises something. The bond that Tetsuya spoke about with his siblings and the one he also experienced the moment he met his newborn baby brother Sasuke, had also been formed the moment his eyes met Misaki's._

 _Only different but just as strong._

" _Itachi, you found the place. Misaki, this is my friend Itachi. He has just joined the Academy but he wants to learn more jutsu, like you." Shisui introduces them._

 _Misaki is excited about the news and explains the reason he hasn't seen her in the Academy: her father doesn't want her to become a shinobi and share the fate of her siblings. However, her dream is to become a very powerful kunoichi so she secretly trains with Shisui whenever she can._

 _After a few minutes of sparring, Itachi is able to see that Misaki's skills are way beyond of a five-year-old attending the Academy and that she would've been just as bored as him by attending the Academy she's so eager to go to. She seems to have already learned all the jutsu necessary to graduate as a genin._

" _Why do you want to be a ninja if you won't be able to fight?" Itachi asks her._

" _I want to understand the shinobi world and why is there always fighting, and for that I must become a strong kunoichi to stop it." She says adopting a proud stance._

Shisui smiles at her. "I don't know why there is fighting in the world but… if the fighting can be stopped, I'd like to stop it."

" _Me too". Itachi adds looking from Shisui to Misaki._

 _That day a bond between the two Uchiha and Misaki is formed. Each member of the trio vowing silently to protect the other two._

 _Shisui feels like it's his duty to protect these two little prodigies as for some unknown reason, he knows they would be playing an important role in the shinobi world._

"I wouldn't…" Kakashi whispered after a long moment of silence. While he'd been trying to convince himself that he wouldn't act like Tetsuya to save Misaki by putting the whole world in danger, Tetsuya seemed to have been lost in his own thoughts.

"How do you think this would work out? How is reviving Kaguya going to save Misaki?" Sasuke asked this time.

"Kaguya's Rinnegan can bring Misaki to life." He answered simply.

"Why would Kaguya give her life for Misaki?"

"Kaguya's Rinnegan is not like yours, Sasuke, or anyone else in this world that has awakened it. While you could bring back someone from the dead by sacrificing yourself, Kaguya's doujutsu is the original and thus, it doesn't have such repercussion."

"She won't forgive you for killing Naruto by stealing the Nine-Tails' chakra."

"It doesn't matter!" Tetsuya screamed exasperated. "Now that we have the chakra of all the nine tailed beasts, we can summon the Ten-Tails so Hinata Hyuga can become Kaguya's vessel."

"Summoning the Gedo Statue can only be done by a Rinnegan user and there's no way I will summon it for you." Sasuke stated.

"There's no need." Tetsuya turned his face and looked at Sasuke over his shoulder.

Both his eyes were showing the Rinnegan, the left one additionally showing a Sharingan pattern.

"How? What kind of sick experiments has Orochimaru done on you?" Kakashi asked with wide eyes. "I know he was coveting what he called 'the perfect vessel' but to think that he managed to get his hands on the Sharingan and even the Rinnegan…

Who-" Kakashi's question was cut short as Tetsuya grabbed him by the throat before throwing him against the opposite rocky wall.

"Let's begin." Tetsuya told the Otsutsuki.

Urashiki descended and stood in front of Hinata. He opened his right hand which was holding on to one of Sasuke's eyes, the Rinnegan, the one that he awoke on his Sharingan after receiving Hagoromo's chakra. He closed the distance between himself and Hinata and with his other hand, he reached out to Hinata's left Byakugan.

"Do _not_ touch Hinata!" Naruto yelled. He attempted to stand up but his legs gave out under him.

"What are you trying to do?" Kakashi asked this time.

"We won't make the same mistake in bringing Kaguya back in an uncompleted vessel as Black Zetsu did before. He only combined Uchiha and Senju through Madara. The Hyuga are descendants of Hamura but they lack Hagoromo's trait and this eye contains both Indra and Asura's lineage. By simply exchanging one of her Byakugan with it, the vessel will be complete." Urashiki explained, not knowing that thanks to Naruto, Hinata already had Senju in her unborn child.

"Tetsuya, please. You're making a mistake." Kakashi begged.

Tetsuya didn't bother looking at Kakashi. Instead, he held Hinata's face so Urashiki could reach out for her Byakugan. His fingers were about an inch away when a large fire suddenly lit up from Misaki's ashes along with a loud eagle's cry that echoed through the cave's walls.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

The fire became more and more intense while keeping its size of about 3 metres high and 5 metres in width. The flames whirled in a counter clock motion, slowly picking up speed.

Kakashi looked back and forth from the flames to the place where Misaki's ashes had been a moment ago.

Another eagle's cry filled the cave just before the flames took in the shape of a giant eagle, the flames still spinning around. The eagle's form extended its wings and flapped its wings as if it were about to take off while everyone stood there frozen looking at what was happening but being unable to react.

After the last flap, the eagle-like figure of flames folded its wings in front of itself before the shape of the flames began to change form. The intensity of then fire slowly diminished, the original figure losing its profile and leaving a female human structure completely made of black ashes.

The figure was sitting down with her left knee folded in front of her torso, her face tucked behind it and her left arm wrapped around it while her right leg was folded on the floor.

The figure seemed to be made of molten lava because when the case of hardened ashes began to crack it gave glimpses of the bright orange material underneath it. Then the figure started to move, slowly standing up, completing breaking its case, the black chunks of ashes dropping to the floor.

As the figure finally stood up completely, the lava seemed to have stopped from burning, leaving a human body made of skin and flesh in its place. A woman, completely naked, was standing in front of everyone with her arms covering her female parts. Her head was facing the ground so her face was covered by her long black hair but that didn't stop everyone from recognising who she was.

Misaki.

 _A few hours earlier…_

I had experience more pain in the last few minutes than in my entire existence.

First, the curse mark inflicted on my body by the the Otsutsuki's, and now, the molten lava underneath me. If anyone asked me, I couldn't tell which one was more painful. While the curse mark burned from the inside out, the lava did the opposite and now I could feel it reaching my bones.

My contracted animal burned alongside me after trying to stop my fall. The feathery wings he had wrapped around me were melting and fusing with my skin.

My brain began to shut down, actually, I was surprised it lasted this long after experiencing such intense pain. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting to look into the eyes of my loved ones, knowing for a fact that _that_ pain would be unbearable.

 _I hope one day you all will be able to forgive me. Goodbye guys, remember that I love you._

 _Jiro, Okāsan, Otōsan, Itachi, Shisui, I'll see you all soon._

Then everything suddenly stopped. The sounds of the bubbling lava, the heat, the burning all over my body, the pressure of my eagle surrounding me.

A bright light shone behind my eyelids and I opened my eyes slowly.

I was laying down on the soft grass and staring at the brightest blue I've ever seen. Sitting up, I stared at a scene that seemed oddly familiar. Strange but beautiful trees and flowers surrounded me.

 _Am I dead? Is this heaven?_

"Yes and no." A strange voice said to my right.

I turned to look and found my eagle standing next to me. I hadn't felt his presence until now.

 _Am I going crazy or my eagle just talked?_

"No and yes." He answered clearly.

"Y-You can talk?"

"You know I just did. Why is it such a big surprise? All the other contracted animals do."

"Ha! That's not true! Itachi's crows didn't talk. Sasuke's hawk doesn't talk. I thought it was a _bird_ thing, that you guys simply didn't have the ability to talk like the others." I said like a petulant child.

"Garuda can talk alright. Maybe it's because we've been around for so long that we don't have the same necessity as the others to talk that much. Or maybe, because like myself, he can read his summoner's mind so we don't need to wait for instructions. That's why we are the fastest."

I knew he was telling the truth. All the times that I've summoned him, I never once had to give him instructions, he always acted like an extension of myself, knowing what I needed.

"The name is Suzaku." He informed me.

"And you tell me now, after all these years? I've known you since I was, what? Fifteen?"

"You never asked."

 _Touché._

Which made me question, how did Sasuke know Garuda's name? He knew all along his hawk could talk?

"Nice to meet you, Suzaku. Although the timing is all wrong. I just wished I knew your name while I was alive. When _we_ were alive."

"Well, we're not exactly dead. Like I said earlier, this isn't heaven.

The crows never talked to Itachi but they asked me to look after you. They tried to keep an eye on you since Itachi left but it wasn't really their job to protect you. I refused at first, in over a thousand years never I had a contract with a human and wasn't looking to start one but that changed the day you turned up in this dimension. The crows brought you here and left you as a bird seed for the others to feed off you.

Maybe it was the fact that I'd never seen a human here and couldn't stop myself from protecting you from the other birds as they dove in to attack you or maybe it was something else that compelled me into doing so. I stopped them as you might remember and then I looked into your eyes, thinking that I would find fear or maybe surprise but instead, I drowned in the whirlpool of your feelings, your despair, your sorrow, your hope and love, your trust and distrust. You bared soul was reflected in your eyes, begging for someone to look after you but not wanting to ask for help because that would show weakness. Because since you were a child, you have learnt only to be strong. You were completely unafraid to die but afraid of being left behind."

I remembered that day, it was Tetsu's first birthday. After the little party, I camped at the cliff I used to come to train with Itachi and Shisui. I couldn't understand why I still felt connected to Itachi, not after everything that he had done. I wanted to be strong and happy for my son but my walls always cracked when I looked into his handsome face, the face that constantly reminded me of his father.

"Okay… so if I'm not dead and this is not heaven, where are we? Is this some sort of summoning dimension? I'm sure my body is beyond help by even the most skilful medical shinobi such as Tsunade or Sakura. I don't have any regrets and I'm ready to meet everyone."

"Don't be in such a rush to leave the world of the living, young one." Suzaku admonished me. Was it so bad wanting to meet the loved ones I lost in the past? "There's a reason why Itachi's crows brought you to me and that's because Itachi knew you were destined for a higher purpose. And because of that, you would face greater enemies than anyone else and, in order to survive, you would need my help at some point."

"Okay…" I didn't know how Suzaku could help since he had burned in the lava-like I did. "I know you were old but…"

"I have burned to ashes about ten times since I came into this world which means, I have been reborn ten times."

My eyes moved randomly, my brain trying to analyze the possibilities and understand the meaning of those words.

"I-I don't understand."

"I'm a phoenix. The only one left alive. We have been hunted down for many years by people searching for eternal life, because we are able to obtain new life by arising from the ashes and because the remains of our ashes can bring a dead person back to life if they're used before we are reborn" Suzaku explained.

Wow. I literally had the best contracted-animal ever.

"So, you're saying I've could've saved someone's life in the past?" I asked suddenly annoyed at this bit of information I wasn't aware of.

"Only if you would've been with me at the time I turned to ashes, and that was almost a hundred years ago." He answered to my somewhat relief.

"I see. So your ashes can bring me back to life? Even if my body has turned to ashes as well?"

"No, even my ashes cannot accomplish that. Your body cannot be brought back in the way some of your other comrades were given back life. But I can share my power with you, and you alone must bring yourself back to life from the ashes. It's a difficult and painful process in which your cells have to burn once again in order to be fused together. It'll be like no other pain you've felt before."

Talk about _my_ lucky day.

In a tiny corner of my mind there was a little voice telling me not to go through any more pain, that I had gone through enough pain and loss during my short twenty-six years of existence and I could go to a place where I would never experience any more pain while being surrounded by family and friends. A place where there would be no more fighting.

I mentally squashed that shameful part of me. Taking the easy route was never my thing, some might even say I enjoyed taking the hardest route, and now, giving up was not an option.

"When do we start?" I asked. Suzaku smiled in response.

"We can start now. I'll share my powers with you by fusing my body with yours and then you'll be able to begin the process. How long it'll take will be up to you alone. You will not be able to communicate with me anymore after this, nor summon me as before. I'll be a part of you until you die and until then I won't be able to be reborn." The giant eagle/Phoenix took a step towards me but I raised my hand to indicate that he should stop.

"Wait. You said you'd share your powers with me but for what you've just explained, it seems that you're giving your life for me and I couldn't accept that." I complained.

"I'm not giving up my life, just giving you one of my lives. I can be reborn for an eternity, a mere fifty to seventy years don't seem that long to me." He explained.

"I'm not sure if…" My sentence was cut short when I felt rather than seen the impact of Suzaku energy against my body. It's warmth rapidly found its way inside of me, spreading outwards from my core. Suzaku's chakra seemed alien at first but my body quickly adjusted to the extra energy that I would've thought wouldn't be possible to contain.

I felt the transition rather than see it. My eyes were blinded as bright light shone behind my closed eyelids. My body broke down into fine dust, I felt every single cell of my body burning and dissolving into the air, every one of the thirty-seven or something trillions of cells that a human body is made of. The pain was like no other.

The dust swirled around me, although technically there was not _me_ anymore. Somehow, I knew that it was happening and that in order to be me again, I had to bring every little speck of dust back to its original place. I mentally rolled my eyes, I couldn't begin to think of a way to do so. Suzaku could've at least given me some pointers.

After what felt like an eternity, my frustration had grown considerably and was burning in the place where my chest should've been. The heaviness was similar to gathering chakra for a fireball but holding it in place indefinitely. I wanted to release it but how was I supposed to do without a mouth?

Wait. How stupid am I?

This wasn't just frustration, it was chakra through and through. If Suzaku was reborn over and over, it was because even after his body had completely disintegrated, his chakra remained.

I began feeling the chakra, trying to see if there was a way to move it around and reach out for the dust still swirling around me but the process took me nowhere. At the millionth try, I wanted to scream so hard but couldn't without a voice. Instead, I released my chakra as if air balloon had been pierced.

My chakra which had innate fire nature, became fire as it made contact with the dust. The spiralling material became a spiral of fire and I knew I just made the first step.

The fact that I had fire nature was no coincidence, without it, it would've been impossible to start the rebirth. Fire was the key to fuse myself back together and now that could see the flames it was easy to see what to do and how to control it.

In a matter of seconds, I felt like I'd just been reborn into a brand new _me_. From the outside, my body looked the same but upon closer look, it was easy to tell that my skin had a new sheer, every each of the billions of cells had regenerated and born anew. My energy levels were higher than ever and I could feel the power of the Phoenix run through my veins as a warming liquid.

As I looked up, the faces of my loved ones came into view. The same shocked expression in each of them.


End file.
